Ranking the 2024 NBA Christmas Day matchups by entertainment factor

The start of the 2024-25 NBA season is only a few months away, but the hype is already building.

There are plenty of reasons why this year’s season could be even better than last year when the Boston Celtics finally broke through for an NBA championship to break the all-time tie with the Los Angeles Lakers. There was also the rise of NBA superstar Anthony Edwards from the Minnesota Timberwolves and the stellar debut of San Antonio Spurs’ rookie Victor Wembanyama. These storylines will be highlighted this upcoming season on one of the biggest regular season NBA days of the year.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania has reported the five NBA Christmas Day games planned for the 2024-25 NBA season. Some teams are going in high contention for an NBA title while others have been tabbed based on their team history or the popularity of their star players. Some of these games could easily be instant classics while others might be boring or blowouts.

Ranking the 2024 NBA Christmas Day schedule by entertainment factor

5. San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks 

The New York Knicks are back in the conversation for the top teams in the Eastern Conference after a tremendous season. Their success is not a fluke with Jalen Brunson becoming a bona fide star and a stellar supporting cast. If there is any team that deserves an opportunity to host a Christmas Day matchup, it is the Knicks.

While the Knicks get a great opportunity to play a home game on Christmas Day, the opponent they will play is only based on popularity. The San Antonio Spurs are a team that has a great future with second-year center Victor Wembanyama and the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, point guard Stephon Castle. And, of course, legendary head coach Greg Popovich. Outside of these three, the Spurs don't have anything of value when it comes to competing for a championship. The Spurs lack depth and veteran point guard Chris Paul is well past his prime.

Among all five Christmas Day matchups, this game between the Spurs and the Knicks has the most likelihood of turning ugly. The biggest goal for San Antonio is to have their two young players shine on Christmas Day and keep building a national audience.

4. Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors 

In the last few seasons, a Christmas Day matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors would’ve been one of the most anticipated games of the season. For the 2024-25 NBA season, however, it feels like the Ghost of Christmas Past decided this matchup. The Warriors and the Lakers are attempting to get out of the play-in conversation and make themselves legitimate NBA title contenders. But the biggest attribute of this game is the history of these two teams and four aging NBA stars. The moves, or lack thereof, made by both teams in the off-season show they are nowhere near elite.

What has made these matchups great in the past few seasons are the stars from both teams. Outside of the four marquee players — Steph Curry, Draymond Green, LeBron James and Anthony Davis — there isn’t much to be excited about in this game. The Warriors lost shooting guard Klay Thompson and the Lakers are putting their trust in JJ Redick, who has never coached at any level, outside of youth league basketball.

It will be fun to see the stars play on the court on Christmas Day, but as in an overall package, this game will be a battle between two mid-level Pacific Division teams.

3. Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns

Not long ago, a primetime matchup between the Denver Nuggets and the Phoenix Suns would’ve been the best game of the day. While the Nuggets are still one of the top teams in the league they may have taken a step back and the Suns have fallen hard to a fringe playoff contender, closer to a play-in team.

Phoenix is continuing to show why a big-three formula doesn’t always work for teams looking to win a championship. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are still playing at a high level, but their third wheel — Bradley Beal has been a huge disappointment. Beal is failing to prove why he deserves $50 million a year (and more within the next two years).

Meanwhile, the Suns have one of the worst benches in the league. This is why Phoenix was the sixth seed in the Western Conference going into the postseason. This matchup between Phoenix and Denver has the potential to be great thanks to the star-level talent on both sides, but it could also be a blowout.

2. Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics 

The Boston Celtics were in a league of their own in the Eastern Conference. Not even other high-seeded teams like the Philadelphia 76ers had the depth and the talent to compete with the Celtics last season. This year, the 76ers possess one of the best regular season rosters in the league thanks to the addition of small forward Paul George. He might not add much to the success of the 76ers in the postseason, but he helps the 76ers tremendously in the regular season.

The 76ers are going to pose a huge mismatch problem with big-man Joel Embiid. The Celtics, on the other hand, have shown they can win with their two-way depth on the wing and in the backcourt, and their two stars Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum.

Of all Christmas Day matchups this season, the Celtics and the 76ers should be easily the best involving teams from the East. Boston still looks to make a big statement on Christmas Day while Philadelphia looks to break their curse against Boston — the Celtics have won seven of the last nine games against the 76ers.

1. Minnesota Timberwolves at Dallas Mavericks

The matchup between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Dallas Mavericks should easily be the best matchup to be played on Christmas Day. This game should easily be the gift that keeps on giving as both the Timberwolves and the Mavericks are teams on the rise and their budding rivalry could be a big narrative for years to come.

Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards has become one of the faces of the league. He also has a stellar supporting cast, including center Karl-Anthony Towns and point guard Mike Conley. Dallas, on the other hand, has shown they can have a championship run with elite guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

The Mavericks had more gas in the tank than the Timberwolves during the Western Conference Finals with Doncic and Irving both shooting at an insane level. Doncic averaged 32.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 2.2 steals in the five games against Minnesota. Irving averaged 27 points per game shooting 49 percent from the field.

Edwards played great but relied too much on his teammates to contribute when he needed to match the intensity of Doncic and Irving. In the four regular-season games played against Dallas, Towns averaged 21 points. If Towns stays healthy throughout the season, this Mavericks vs. Timberwolves matchup will be easily one of the top series to watch all season.