The NBA and Christmas go together as well as any other festive paring this time of year.
This year, the league has gifted fans five games sprinkled throughout the day, starting at noon ET with the San Antonio Spurs visiting the New York Knicks, who have played more games on Christmas Day (56) than any team in the NBA. That matchup will be followed by the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Dallas Mavericks (2 p.m.), the Philadelphia 76ers taking on the Boston Celtics (5 p.m.), the Golden State Warriors hosting the Los Angeles Lakers (8 p.m.) and the night will be capped by the Denver Nuggets traveling to face the Phoenix Suns (10:30 p.m.).
NBA games today
New York Knicks 117, San Antonio Spurs 114
Minnesota Timberwolves 105, Dallas Mavericks 99
Philadelphia 76ers 118, Boston Celtics 114
Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors, 8 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN
Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns, 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC
76ers vs. Celtics highlights
Final: 76ers 118, Celtics 114
The Boston Celtics are green with envy after losing a close Christmas Day contest to the Philadelphia 76ers, 118-114.
The Celtics’ Jaylen Brown struggled early in the contest — he was held to two first-half points — but the Finals MVP came up clutch in the second half. He knocked down a fadeaway 3-pointer to bring the Celtics within two, 116-114, with 4.2 seconds remaining. Boston immediately fouled Joel Embiid, who converted both of his free throws to extend the Sixers’ lead back to 118-114 with 2.8 seconds remaining. The Celtics weren’t able to get off a final shot, however, after Derrick White stepped out of bounds. The Sixers dribbled out the clock.
Tyrese Maxey finished with a team-high 33 points and 12 assists, while Joel Embiid had 27 points and nine rebounds.
Jayson Tatum had 32 points and 15 rebounds. Brown added 23 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the loss.
End of 3Q: Celtics 82, 76ers 82
Things are all even after three quarters.
Joel Embiid is on double-double watch, leading the 76ers with 23 points and eight rebounds. Tyrese Maxey has 20 points and nine assists, one away from a double-double of his own.
Jayson Tatum has 21 points and 13 rebounds. After being held to only two points in the first half, Jaylen Brown exploded for 14 points in the third quarter, bringing his total to 16 points.
Halftime: 76ers 66, Celtics 58
The 76ers led by as many as 16 points in the first half and take a 66-58 lead over the Celtics into the locker room at halftime. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey each have 18 points through the first half. Philadelphia is shooting 53.1% from the field collectively and is outscoring Boston 30-14 in the paint.
The Celtics are shooting 43.8% from the field. Jayson Tatum has 16 points and four rebounds, while Jaylen Brown has been held to two points, shooting 1-for-8 from the field and 0-for-1 from 3.
End of 1st quarter: 76ers 30, Celtics 25
Philadelphia is off and running behind 12 points by Tyrese Maxey. Joel Embiid has eight points and four rebounds. The 76ers are shooting 52% from the field.
Al Horford leads Boston with nine points, and Jayson Tatum has five points, four rebounds and two assists.
76ers starting lineup vs. Celtics
Tyrese Maxey, PG
Kelly Oubre, SG
Paul George, SF
Caleb Martin, PF
Joel Embiid, C
Celtics starting lineup vs. 76ers
Derrick White, PG
Jaylen Brown, SG
Jayson Tatum, SF
Al Horford, PF
Kristaps Porzingis, C
Timberwolves vs. Mavericks highlights
Final score: Timberwolves 105, Mavericks 99
Following a missed 3-pointer by Klay Thompson, the Timberwolves got two big free throws by Julius Randle to effectively clinch the victory for Minnesota.
Anthony Edwards makes crucial bucket
After Kyrie Irving missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer for the Mavericks, Anthony Edwards followed with a layup to give the Timberwolves a 103-99 lead with 18.6 seconds left.
Mavericks trail by two in final minute
Dallas has the ball with 48.5 seconds left and Minnesota leads 101-99. Kyrie Irving has 39 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter.
Mavericks-Timberwolves score: Dallas within six
Kyrie Irving’s scorching hot fourth quarter continues with an and-one that brings the Mavericks’ deficit down to 97-91.
Mavericks on the comeback trail
Dallas has started the fourth quarter on an 18-7 run to cut its deficit to 11 points at 97-86 with 5:32 remaining. Kyrie Irving scored the first six points of the quarter and leads all scorers with 32 points.
In addition, Klay Thompson moved into fifth place in NBA history for most career 3-pointers.
End of 3rd quarter: Timberwolves 90, Mavericks 68
Things only got worse for Dallas after halftime. With Luka Doncic out, Minnesota opened up a 22-point lead behind the balanced attack of Anthony Edwards (20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) and Julius Randle (19 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists).
Luka Doncic out for Mavericks vs. Timberwolves
Dallas announced that star forward Luka Doncic will not return after suffering a left calf strain during the second quarter.
Mavericks-Timberwolves halftime leaders
Timberwolves
Points: Anthony Edwards 13
Rebounds: Rudy Gobert 8
Assists: Julius Randle 7
Mavericks
Points: Luka Doncic 14
Rebounds: Dereck Lively II 6
Assists: Luka Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie 2
Halftime score: Timberwolves 57, Mavericks 40
Minnesota’s defense held Dallas to just 16 second-quarter points and the Timberwolves opened up a 17-point lead to take into the locker room.
Anthony Edwards (13), Julius Randle (11) and Rudy Gobert (10) are all in double digits for the T-Wolves, with Randle adding seven assists and Gobert adding eight rebounds.
Luka Doncic is pacing the Mavericks with 14 points and Kyrie Irving has 13. Doncic left the game with 2:31 left in the half with what looked to be a leg injury.
Luka Doncic exits with apparent injury
Mavericks star Luka Doncic exited the game with 2:31 left in the first half with what appeared to be a leg injury. He went to the locker room with the Timberwolves leading 51-38.
Mavericks-Timberwolves score
Minnesota has opened up a 42-33 lead with 7:00 to go in the half. Donte DiVincenzo has helped the T-Wolves’ run and is up to nine points now.
The Timberwolves are shooting 45.5% from the field and 53.3% from 3-point land.
End of 1st quarter: Timberwolves 26, Mavericks 24
Minnesota and Dallas played a tight first quarter, with the Timberwolves clinging to a two-point lead. The Mavericks’ Luka Doncic leads all scorers with 11 points, while Julius Randle leads the T-Wolves with 10 points and five assists. Anthony Edwards has eight points and four assists.
Mavericks-Timberwolves score
Minnesota is off to a 19-18 lead at Dallas with Anthony Edwards leading the way with eight points. Meanwhile, Luka Doncic, who scored 50 points on Christmas Day last year, has 11 points, including three 3-pointers.
Mavericks starting lineup vs. Timberwolves
Luka Doncic
Kyrie Irving
Klay Thompson
P.J. Washington
Dereck Lively
Timberwolves starting lineup vs. Mavericks
Mike Conley, PG
Anthony Edwards, SF
Jaden McDaniels, SF
Julius Randle, PF
Rudy Gobert, C
Spurs vs. Knicks highlights
Final score: Knicks 117, Spurs 114
What a way to start a five-game slate! In the end, Mikal Bridges and the Knicks pulled out the victory over Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs.
San Antonio pulled within three points when Chris Paul nailed a 3-pointer with 41.1 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, Jalen Brunson’s jumper missed, but Josh Hart’s rebound kept the ball out of the Spurs’ hands and clinched the win.
Bridges finished with 41 points on 17-of-25 shooting, including six 3-pointers.
Though it came in a losing effort, Wembanyama was beyond impressive. San Antonio’s second-year star had a game-high 42 points with a game-high 18 rebounds and a game-high four blocks. Like Bridges, Wemby had six 3-pointers.
Knicks-Spurs score: New York holds late lead
For just the third time in NBA on Christmas Day history, we have a dueling 40-point battle. Victor Wembanyama had led the Spurs with 42 points and Mikal Bridges’ 41 points has the Knicks with a 117-114 lead with less than a minute to play.
Victor Wembanyama helps Spurs pull ahead
Wembanyama is having quite the Christmas Day game debut. He’s put in 42 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, as the Spurs have gone ahead 102-100 with 5:16 left in the game.
End of 3rd quarter: Knicks 88, Spurs 83
Victor Wembanyama is up to 31 points, but Mikal Bridges (26), Karl-Anthony Towns (21) and Jalen Brunson (20) teamed up to help the Knicks blow past the Spurs in the third quarter. New York ends the quarter on a 10-0 run.
Knicks surge ahead in third quarter
New York is up 66-64 with 6:35 left in the third quarter. The Knicks have outscored the Spurs 15-6 in the period, during which Karl-Anthony Towns has taken over. Towns is up to 21 points and eight rebounds.
Knicks-Spurs halftime leaders
Knicks
Points: Mikal Bridges 16
Rebounds: Josh Hart 6
Assists: Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart 4
Spurs
Points: Victor Wembanyama 24
Rebounds: Victor Wembanyama 11
Assists: Tre Jones 6
Halftime score: Spurs 58, Knicks 51
It’s been the Victor Wembanyama show during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Wemby put an exclamation point on a 24-point first half with a 3-pointer with 9 seconds left in the second quarter.
Wembanyama also enters halftime with 11 rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
Knicks-Spurs score
The Knicks have come storming back and trail 45-44 with 5:22 left in the half.
While Wembanyama is up to 19 points, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns have combined for 21 points for the Knicks.
Victor Wembanyama leads Spurs second quarter run
San Antonio has put together a 12-4 run to start the second quarter, with Victor Wembanyama scoring five of those points. Wembanyama is up to 15 for the game and there’s 9:28 remaining in the first half.
End of 1st quarter: Knicks 28, Spurs 27
The Knicks hold the one-point lead after one quarter. The Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama leads all scores with 10 points, and he also has four rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
Mikal Bridges leads the Knicks with nine points, while Karl-Anthony Towns has eight points and two rebounds.
Jeremy Sochan hair
Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan has the do to match the day.
Knicks-Spurs score
The Spurs lead 16-15 at the first timeout. Victor Wembanyama already has four points, four rebounds and two blocks with 5:08 remaining in the first quarter.
Spurs starting lineup vs. Knicks
Chris Paul, PG
Devin Vassell, SF/SF
Harrison Barnes, SF/PF
Jeremy Sochan, PF
Victor Wembanyama, C
Knicks starting lineup vs. Spurs
Jalen Brunson, PG
Mikal Bridges, SF/SG
Josh Hart, SF/PF
OG Anunoby, SF/PF
Karl-Anthony Towns, C
How to watch NBA games on Christmas Day
ESPN and ABC will broadcast all five NBA games on Christmas Day.
How to stream NBA games on Christmas Day
All five NBA games on Christmas will be streamed on ESPN+ and on Fubo, which offers a free trial.
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Which NBA teams have played most Christmas Day games?
The New York Knicks have played in 55 games on Christmas, more than any team in the league.
Which NBA teams have won most Christmas Day games?
The New York Knicks’ 24 wins on Christmas are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the league record. The Philadelphia 76ers are third with 19. All three teams play on Christmas this year.
Which player has the most wins on Christmas Day?
LeBron James and his former Miami Heat teammate Dwyane Wade are tied for the most Christmas wins with 10. James has a chance to pass Wade if the Lakers can beat the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.