The Phoenix Suns will face the Dallas Mavericks in one of five NBA games on Christmas Day, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.

The Suns will play the Mavericks, who they lost to in seven games in the 2022 Western Conference semifinals, in Phoenix at Footprint Center. This will be the third straight season and the 21st time overall the Suns will play a game on Christmas.

Phoenix has arguably its best team in franchise history. Devin Booker is considered one of the league's best players, and he has a superstar duo next to him, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. The Suns are widely expected to be championship contenders this season with those three and coach Frank Vogel, who won an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.

The Mavericks are led by superstar guard Luka Doncic, who is 24 years old and one of the future faces of the NBA. He and star Kyrie Irving, who played with Durant with the Brooklyn Nets from 2019 to 2023, will look to take down the Suns in Phoenix.

Earlier Thursday, Charania reported the Suns will play on Opening Night for the 2023-24 season on the road against the Golden State Warriors. They will face former starting point guard Chris Paul, and Durant will play his first game in front of home fans at San Francisco since he left the Warriors in 2019 free agency.

The other games that will take place on Christmas Day are as follows: the Milwaukee Bucks at New York Knicks; the Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat; the Boston Celtics at the Lakers; and the Warriors at the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets.

Phoenix has lost its last two games on Christmas Day versus the Warriors (2021) and Nuggets (2022). The Suns are 12-8 all-time on Christmas.