The NBA has 30 teams, as noted. A full 29 of them have played at least once on Christmas. The Hornets have never had the pleasure. That includes the original iteration, the Bobcats, and the current iteration. Maybe LaMelo Ball and company will get good enough to earn a Christmas game.
In 2022, the Grizzlies, with burgeoning star Ja Morant, got a chance to face the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors won easily, 123-109. This is the only time the Grizzlies, of Memphis or Vancouver, have played on Christmas.
We don’t know how often the Raptors have played on Boxing Day. What we do know is that the Raptors, Canada’s only extant team, has played twice on Christmas. Both games ended in losses, leaving the Raptors as the third and final team without a Christmas Day win.
The Pelicans’ history began in 2002, since the Hornets got their old history back, a la the Cleveland Browns. Guys like Chris Paul and Zion Williamson certainly have excited the casual NBA fan, aka the perceived Christmas viewer. The Pellies have played four Christmas games, and they do have a win. The article “a” is shouldering the load there.
This is the first team on this list to have played more than a smattering of Christmas Day games. That includes the Seattle SuperSonics era. The Thunder had the Kevin Durant and the Russell Westbrook years, and during that time, they were staples of national TV. Unfortunately, the franchise has also had limited luck. The Thunder are 6-14 on Christmas, putting them in the running for the most futile Christmas performer.
For our money, though, the Pistons hold the title, such as it is, for making things the toughest for their fans on a day of fun and celebration. Detroit has played 32 games on Christmas, which is more than most NBA teams. However, it is also 10-22 on Christmas. Sure, the Pistons’ .313 win percentage is a smidge better than the Thunder’s .300 win percentage, but with another 12 games in the mix, the Pistons feel like they have been a bit worse.
The Nuggets had the Carmelo Anthony era, and Nikola Jokic has three MVPs and has led the team to a title. Perhaps there have been more fallow years than we realized, though, and admittedly, Denver isn’t the biggest market. The Nuggets have only made 10 Christmas appearances, and they haven’t gone great, as the franchise is 3-7.
Even when the Hawks have been really good, they haven’t necessarily been star-studded. Of course, Turner Sports is also based in Atlanta, so the Hawks are a convenient pick for Christmas. Atlanta has actually played in 21 Christmas games, more than we expected, and is 9-12 in those games.
The Knicks are the kings of Christmas. Regardless of how good the team is in any given year, you can pretty much lock them into playing on Christmas Day. Of course, the degree to which success doesn’t play a role has also led to a mixed bag of results. The (St.) Knicks have played in 56 Christmas games, the most of any franchise. They are 25-32.
A dynastic run has made the Warriors recent staples on Christmas. Given the propensity Steph Curry has for going off, that’s just fine. As long as Curry is a Warrior, keep the team in action on X-Mas! Golden State did lose to the Lakers in 2024, though, dropping the team’s record to 15-19.
The Spurs are a bounce or two away from being higher on this list. However, the reason for that is because the team has actually not been a regular on Christmas Day. Obviously, they’ve had some great teams and great players, but not the most exciting personalities. San Antonio is 5-7 on Christmas. Flip that around to 7-5, and it would jump a lot of teams.
Unsurprisingly, one of the iconic NBA franchises has played a ton of Christmas. The Celtics are third in overall games, though a decent distance behind the Knicks and the team in second (which you can guess). All told, the defending champs are under .500, but just barely. Boston is 17-21 on X-Mas.
For years, decades even, there was zero chance of the Clippers getting a Christmas Day game. Even with the Los Angeles market, the Clippers were just such a futile franchise. Then, things got turned around and the Clippers of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin became cool and exciting. Now, the Clippers have played 17 games on Christmas, and even have an 8-9 record on the day.
It turns out when you play a ton of Christmas, it’s hard to rack up win after win. There’s also the fact that these matchups are usually designed to showcase top teams, so easy opponents are hard to find. To that end, the Lakers are just under .500. They have played 51 Christmas Day games, but are 25-26.
We enter the realm of .500 teams. Cleveland has played 14 Christmas Day games, but none since 2017. Huh, we wonder what happened to get the Cavaliers off the Christmas schedule since. With a 7-7 record and the most games played of the .500 teams, we’d argue that Cleveland is the best of the bunch when it comes to mediocrity.
The Rockets were champs a couple of times in the 1990s and had some really good teams with some big names since. Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, James Harden, the list goes on. While a rebuilding stretch has kept Houston off the schedule for a few years, the franchise is 6-6 on Christmas.
You’d think that during the Reggie Miller era, the Pacers would have gotten a chance to face the Knicks a few times on Christmas. The franchise has made rare appearances, though. In fact, Indiana has only played in four Christmas Day games and is 2-2. The Pacers last played on Christmas in 2004, and in a very-2004 game lost to the Pistons 98-93.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (and a title) has made the small-market Bucks a viable option for Christmas. That wouldn’t have been the case for a long time. In 2023, the Bucks hit double digits but lost to the Knicks and thus fell to 5-5.
Kevin Garnett? Karl-Anthony Towns? Anthony Edwards? So far, none of them have been able to make the case to the NBA schedule makers to include the Timberwolves in the process. The team is all of 2-1 on Christmas. It won its second and third games, which is nice for the franchise. Otherwise, it would have been in the winless category.
The Nets are the inverse of the Spurs. They have also played in 11 Christmas Day games. However, while San Antonio is 5-6, Brooklyn is 6-5. Even with the market, the Nets are just starting a rebuild, so it may be a bit before the 12th Christmas Day game arrives.
When Shaq arrived, the Magic quickly became a team the NBA very much wanted on national TV. When Shaq left for Los Angeles, that stopped being the case. Orlando has played in nine Christmas games, none since 2011. The Magic are 5-4, though!
The most-common Christmas matchup? That would be the 76ers versus the Knicks. Those two teams have played 13 times, and the Sixers have the 8-5 lead in that series. That basically makes the difference in the team’s Christmas Day record, as Philly is 20-15 on the holiday.
Of the teams with a winning record, the Mavericks have played the fewest Christmas games. Evidently, neither Dirk nor Luka has had the cache to appear all that regularly (maybe Cooper Flagg will be different). Dallas is .500 at 4-4 after a loss to Minnesota in 2024.
From Charles Barkley to “7 Seconds or Less” to the new (to-date unsuccessful) super team, the Suns have had their era when they were in the mix. Phoenix is just over the 20-game mark, but also a few games over .500. The Suns are 13-9 on Christmas, and what city says the holiday season like Phoenix, Arizona?
The NBA assuredly wanted Michael Jordan playing on Christmas as much as possible, but Jordan left the Bulls a long time ago at this point. Like the Suns, the Bulls have played in 21 Christmas Day games. MJ can rub it in with Barkley once more, as the Bulls are one game better at 13-8.
The Kings are the NBA team with the longest Christmas Day drought. Sacramento hasn’t played on Christmas since 2003. Here’s the thing, though. The Kings must have made a point of being available on Christmas back in the day. Would you believe the franchise has played in 29 Christmas games? At 18-11, the Kings have the fourth-most Christmas Day wins in NBA history.
Washington was once a regular on Christmas, and has a track record of success on the day. With a 16-7 record and a .696 win percentage, some might have the Wizards atop the Christmas Day power rankings. Of the teams that have played more than 20 games, they do have the most success from a percentage perspective.
The Jazz have not played often on Christmas (but have played since the Stockton-and-Malone era, FYI), but the success makes up for that. Utah is 6-2 on X-Mas, making it one of three teams with a winning percentage over .700.
The Trail Blazers and Warriors used to make it a habit of playing on Christmas. In fact, from 1977 through 1980, they played every year. Portland is 5-1 on Christmas when playing Golden State. Though the team has not played on Christmas since 2018, it is 14-4. That’s very good, so much so that fans may hope that the team doesn’t return to Christmas Day until the rebuild is further along. Got to save that record!
How much do four games mean to you? Portland has played in 18 Christmas games, while Miami has played in 14. The Blazers are 14-4, as noted, which is excellent. However, the Heat are 12-2. That’s remarkable. Miami has the best win percentage on Christmas of any NBA team. Portland is close, but has done it over four more games. How you come down on that may decide where you land in terms of the number-one Christmas franchise.