NBA A-Listers, Promising Newcomers Highlight Christmas Basketball Lineup
2022 NBA Christmas Day Schedule Unveiled
The NBA has announced the lineup for this year's Christmas Day games, featuring a strong mix of star-studded teams and exciting matchups, with a focus on Western Conference dominance but including a key Eastern Conference showdown.
Here's a breakdown of the five games on the schedule:
- Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks (Eastern Conference, noon ET)
- This game will mark the first time the Cavaliers are not featuring LeBron James since 1990 (not including a 2014 game as an opponent). Donovan Mitchell, an Empire State native, will be playing for the Cavaliers.
- San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder
- The Thunder will make their return to Christmas Day games after a four-year absence, ending the second-longest Christmas drought on the reported slate.
- Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers
- Kevin Durant, who recently joined the Rockets, will face off against the Lakers. This will be the first Christmas game for the Rockets since 2018 and the Lakers since 2019.
- Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors (Primetime)
- Cooper Flagg, the newly-minted top NBA draft pick, will make his Christmas Day debut with the Mavericks.
- Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets (Late night)
- This game will be a rematch of the 2024 Western Conference Finals, featuring stars like Nikola Jokic and Anthony Edwards.
Key players expected to feature include LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, Cooper Flagg, Jalen Brunson, and Victor Wembanyama.
This slate highlights significant storylines such as Durant returning with Houston to face the Lakers, Flagg traveling with the Mavericks to face the Warriors' stars, and the Nuggets-Timberwolves rematch showcasing Jokic and Edwards. The Knicks-Cavaliers game features stars like Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson, Evan Mobley, and Karl-Anthony Towns, spotlighting the Eastern Conference's top contenders.
ESPN's Shams Charania revealed the schedule on Friday. The Dallas Mavericks-Golden State Warriors game will be broadcast in primetime, while the first game will be between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The second game features the defending NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, taking on the San Antonio Spurs at Paycom Center. The Minnesota Timberwolves-Denver Nuggets game will round off the schedule in a late-night game.
Christmas Day will once again be one of the NBA’s marquee events, delivering star power and compelling matchups for fans nationwide.
[1] Source for player information [2] Source for team information [3] Source for schedule information [4] Source for schedule reveal information [5] Source for broadcast information
- The 2022 NBA Christmas Day Schedule showcases a remarkable lineup, including the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks, facing off for the first time without LeBron James since 1990.
- The San Antonio Spurs will square off against the Oklahoma City Thunder, with the Thunder returning to Christmas Day games after a four-year absence.
- The Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers will also be part of this year's schedule, with Kevin Durant set to face off against his former team.
- In a primetime game, the Dallas Mavericks, led by the newly-drafted Cooper Flagg, will take on the Golden State Warriors.
- The schedule will culminate with a late-night game between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves, a potential preview of the 2024 Western Conference Finals featuring stars Nikola Jokic and Anthony Edwards.
