Ranking the 5 best individual Christmas Day performances in Warriors history

Since the NBA began playing games on Christmas Day in 1947, the Golden State Warriors franchise has appeared in 33 such games, good for the fifth-most in league history.

Dating back to their days in Philadelphia, the Warriors have had some memorable individual performances over the years. So, with the holiday right around the corner, we thought we'd take a look at some of the best.

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Why Christmas Day performances matter

From a technical standpoint, a game played on December 25 is no different than any other game played during the regular season. But there's just something a little special that comes with a strong performance on Christmas Day.

Simply to be chosen to appear on the Christmas Day schedule is an honor, as that means you're one of the best teams in the league, one of the most popular teams in the league, or both. All have applied to the Warriors at one point or another.

Some feel that December 25 is the true start to the NBA season, and the date also typically brings some of the highest television ratings for the league. So, again, there's just something a little extra special about a memorable performance on Christmas Day.

Criteria for ranking the Warriors' best Christmas Day performances

As for how we're ranking these all-time great performances for the Warriors, we're keeping things as simple as can be by running with point totals.

As you'll see once we break things down, though, a few of these outstanding outings involve more than just putting the ball in the basket. And just to give you a little teaser, we'll tell you that the top scoring game from a Warriors player on December 25, which ranks second all-time among all players, is also the top rebounding game in Christmas Day history.

Honorable mentions

In the Warriors' 33 games on Christmas Day, there have been 15 players who've scored 30 or more points. We'll break down the top five in just a moment, but here's a look at the other 10.

• Kevin Durant: 36 points vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 2016
• Paul Arizin: 35 points vs. Boston Celtics, 1957
• Jeff Mullins: 34 points vs. Cincinnati Royals, 1969
• Stephen Curry: 33 points vs. Phoenix Suns, 2021
• Paul Arizin: 32 points vs. Minneapolis Lakers, 1954
• Wilt Chamberlain: 32 points vs. St. Louis Hawks, 1962
• World B. Free: 32 points vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 1980
• Jordan Poole: 32 points vs. Memphis Grizzlies, 2022
• Joe Fulks: 30 points vs. Boston Celtics, 1948
• Cazzie Russell: 30 points vs. New York Knicks, 1971

We can tell you that's the only time you'll Steph Curry's name mentioned, at least in a positive manner. For some strange reason, he typically doesn't play well on Christmas Day, and even that 33-point effort against the Suns in 2021 came on a night where he shot just 10-for-27 from the floor.

Let's get to the main event, shall we?

Ranking the 5 best Warriors Christmas Day performances

Here's a look at the five best scoring performances for the Warriors on Christmas Day, starting with the best overall performance the NBA has ever seen on December 25.

No. 1: Wilt Chamberlain goes for 59 points and 36 rebounds in a double-OT loss to the Knicks in 1961

ln one of the few double-overtime games on the holiday, the then-Philadelphia Warriors and New York Knicks engaged in an instant classic at Madison Square Garden in 1961, with New York ultimately taking a 136-135 victory.

Despite the loss, however, the Warriors got an epic outing from Wilt Chamberlain, who played all 58 minutes and scored 59 points, shooting 23-for-44 from the floor and 13-for-22 from the foul line. Wilt's 59 points stood as the most in a Christmas Day game until 1984 when Bernard King dropped 60 for the Knicks. The 1961-62 campaign, of course, was the season Chamberlain averaged a record 50.4 points per game.

Chamberlain also grabbed 36 rebounds in this game, which remain the most for a Christmas Day game and likely always will.

No. 2: Rick Barry scores 50 in a Warriors win over the Royals in 1966

Up until 1966, Chamberlain's 59-point effort marked the only 50-point performance the NBA had ever seen on December 25. But Rick Barry changed all that.

Facing Oscar Robertson and the Cincinnati Royals, who later became the Sacramento Kings, Barry connected on 19 of 35 shots from the floor and hit 12 of 13 of his granny-style free throws to hit the 50-point mark on the number in a 124-112 win for the then-San Francisco Warriors.

Nate Thurmond had an impressive 21-point, 27-rebound outing for the Dubs as well, while Robertson led the way for the Royals with 38 points and six assists.

No. 3: Wilt notched 45 points and 34 boards against the Nationals in 1959

Two years before his 59-point, 36-rebound effort against the Knicks, Chamberlain had a monster outing against the Syracuse Nationals, who later became the Philadelphia 76ers.

As 1959 was Chamberlain's rookie season, this was his first Christmas Day game and he certainly didn't disappoint, scoring 45 points and pulling down 34 rebounds in a 129-121 win.

Wilt ultimately went on to win both NBA Rookie of the Year and NBA MVP, averaging 37.6 points and 27.0 rebounds per game.

No. 4: Monta Ellis drops 39 against the Blazers in 2010 to snap the Warriors' five-game losing streak on Christmas Day

ln the only outing in the top five from this century, Monta Ellis made his way onto the leaderboard on Christmas Day in 2010 by going for 39 points in a 109-102 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

At this point in time, the Warriors hadn't played on December 25 since 1984 and had lost five straight on the holiday, all to Portland dating back to 1977.

Ellis hit 13 of 26 shots from the floor, three of five from the three-point line, and 10 of 11 from the foul line that night at Oracle Arena and was one of only three Warriors in double figures, the others being David Lee (21) and Dorell Wright (16).

This marked the first-ever Christmas Day game for Curry, who shot an abysmal 2-for-15 from the floor en route to four points but did contribute a team-high 11 assists.

No. 5: Purvis Short notches a 36-point, 15-rebound double-double in a loss to Portland in 1984

As mentioned, that 2010 game was the first for Golden State since 1984, which is where we get our final entry.

Again facing the Blazers, the Warriors took a 106-97 defeat on the road on that Christmas Day but got a strong performance from small forward Purvis Short, who went for 38 points, making 17 of 28 shots from the floor and four of seven from the foul line.

Sleepy Floyd was the only other Golden State player in double figures, recording 17 points.

The Blazers, meanwhile, had five players score at least 10 points, a group led by Clyde Drexler, who fell just short of a triple-double with 26 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists.