The New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks will play on Christmas Day for the first time since 2018. The Bucks won that game 109-95 at Madison Square Garden. However, the Knicks are the NBA leaders in games played on Christmas Day with 56. They will meet for the second time on Christmas this year, and we will explain how you can watch the game.

When and where is Bucks vs. Knicks?

This Christmas game will be at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. Tip-off is at noon ET on Monday, Dec. 25. The teams have a rare occurrence of back-to-back home games for the Christmas Day game. They will meet at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 23 at 12:30 p.m. ET and rekindle the rivalry two days later.

How to watch the NBA Christmas Day game

ABC is broadcasting the Christmas Day matchup between these two Eastern Conference contenders. You can watch a live stream of the game with fuboTV.

Date: Monday, Dec. 25 | Time: noon ET

Location: Madison Square Garden — New York City, New York

TV channel: ESPN | Live stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)

Odds: Bucks -3

Bucks Storylines

This will be the fifth consecutive Christmas game for the Bucks. This is unsurprising, as the league aims to have the game's biggest stars and markets. As long as Giannis Antetokounmpo is with the Bucks, they will likely be a featured team on Christmas Day.

The team welcomes the opportunity to be in the spotlight despite traveling to New York and being away from their families during the holidays. Bobby Portis knows the experience of playing on Christmas, he told Matthew Dugandzic of Sports Illustrated.

“It's what our job entails us to do. It's what the work calls when we have to play high-level basketball on the road. That's what we have to do,” Portis said. “We'll come back and celebrate Christmas afterward, or if guys have kids or whatever it is, they'll celebrate it before, which is probably not the same feeling.”

The Bucks beat the Knicks in the quarter-final of the NBA In-Season tournament. They went on to lose to the Indiana Pacers in the semi-final. Antetokounmpo led the way for the Bucks that night, scoring 35 points, ten assists, and eight rebounds. Damian Lillard did his part, contributing 28 points, seven assists, and three rebounds.

Knicks Storylines

Knicks' Jalen Brunson holding a basketball. Knicks' Julius Randle, Knicks' RJ Barrett laughing next to him. Place Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo looking at them with his eyes popping out.

Despite the loss in the quarter-finals, Julius Randle had one of his best games of the year. He tallied 41 points, six rebounds, and five assists. He has been a leader for the Knicks this season, averaging 22.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists. Jalen Brunson is the leading scorer, averaging 25.3 points, 5.9 assists, and 4.0 rebounds. The Knicks' biggest issue is their lack of center depth, with Mitchell Robinson out for the season and Jericho Sims out for another 1-2 weeks.

The Knicks are mainstays because the Christmas Day game at Madison Square Garden is one of the best traditions in the NBA.  Giannis showed up the last time the Bucks played the Knicks on Christmas and dominated, tallying 30 points and 14 rebounds.

New York's last win on Christmas was in 2021 when they steamrolled the Atlanta Hawks 101-87. Randle led the way, scoring 25 points and 12 rebounds. If there's one thing you can count on, the stars will always show up on Christmas with the world watching. Who will be the player to do it this year?