Christmas is always a special time in the NBA. The league celebrates the holiday season by treating its fans to five marquee games headlined by some of the biggest names in the Association. The COVID-19 situation has somewhat dampened the 2021 edition, as some stars are still currently in the league’s health and safety protocols. Nonetheless, this should still be a fun night of hoops for the annual tradition.
There have obviously been some timeless classics throughout the history of NBA Christmas Day games. With that said, let’s take a look at the five best NBA Christmas Day games of all time.
5 Best Christmas Day Games
5. Bulls vs. Lakers 2011
This game pitted Chicago Bulls guard and then-reigning MVP Derrick Rose against Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant in what became an exciting Christmas Day and opening day duel between two of the league’s brightest stars.
The game was pretty much close all throughout as the Lakers entered the fourth quarter with a 69-68 lead. Los Angeles gained control for the majority of the final frame. They held a 6-point lead with under a minute to go after Kobe Bryant made a difficult spin jumper near the baseline in what seemed to be the dagger to put D-Rose and Chicago to bed. However, Luol Deng scored 5 unanswered points in 25 seconds to cut the lead down to a single point with 20.4 seconds remaining.
The Lakers could have just iced the game at the free-throw line. But Chicago blitzed Bryant with a double team and forced a Los Angeles turnover that set up an incredible Christmas Day moment. The Bulls got the steal, did not call timeout, and gave it to the hands of their MVP.
With the game on the line with 11 seconds to go, Derrick Rose sized up Derek Fisher with a crossover, drove hard to the right, got to the middle of the lane, and shot an impossible one-handed floater over the long arms of Pau Gasol to give the Bulls the lead with 4.8 seconds to go. Deng denied Kobe Bryant’s game-winning attempt and the Bulls came out victorious with one of the most memorable Christmas Day games ever.
4. Warriors vs. Clippers 2013
Stephen Curry and Chris Paul renew their rivalry on Saturday as the Golden State Warriors pay a visit to Talking Stick Resort Arena to face the Phoenix Suns. As they do so, the two future Hall of Fame point guards actually had a battle for the ages in their Christmas Day duel back in 2013.
Curry was still a rising star at that time. Meanwhile, Paul, then a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, had already established himself as the best point guard of the league. Curry and the Dubs became one of the must-watch teams in the NBA the previous campaign and awarded them with a Christmas Day showdown against the likewise exciting Lob City Clippers featuring CP3 and Blake Griffin.
This game was chippy all throughout. It eventually swelled into a pretty heated affair. Draymond Green was ejected at the end of the third quarter after elbowing Blake Griffin in the head. Griffin was also ejected near the start of the fourth after getting his second technical following a scuffle with Andrew Bogut.
Curry struggled throughout the game but eventually found his groove in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 of his 15 points in that period. Meanwhile, Paul scored eight in the fourth with Griffin no longer in the contest. At the end of the day, the Warriors held on and notched the hard-fought 105-103 Christmas Day win. In many ways, this game became the incarnation of what became a great rivalry between the Warriors and Clippers throughout the 2010’s.
3. Lakers vs. Heat 2004
Following Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant’s split the previous summer, the NBA decided it was a good idea to have the iconic Los Angeles Lakers duo from the early 2000’s go at it in their first encounter as former teammates on Christmas Day in 2004. This game also marked O’Neal’s first return to Staples Center since getting traded to the Miami Heat in the offseason.
Los Angeles was obviously no longer the powerhouse it once was following O’Neal’s departure and the Heat were the heavy favorites. Still, the tension in Staples Center was sky-high. Despite the disparity in talent, the game did not disappoint. Miami entered with a 10-game winning streak, and Kobe and the Lakers came very close to ending it. With their competitive juices flowing, O’Neal and Bryant went at each other the entire night.
Shaq fouled out with over two minutes to go in regulation and the Heat had to play those final two minutes and the entirety of overtime without their star center. Dwyane Wade came up huge for Miami down the stretch and outdueled Bryant, who missed the potential game-winning triple in overtime.
2. Bulls vs. Knicks 1994
Even without Michael Jordan, who was still in retirement at the time, the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks still had a very heated Christmas Day affair in 1994. This game came after the Bulls and Knicks went into a 7-game bloodbath in the 1994 Eastern Conference semi-finals, which saw the Knickerbockers come out as victors.
But in this particular Christmas Day showdown, the Bulls bested the Knicks in a 107-104 overtime victory. Scottie Pippen was special in this game, leading the Bulls with 36 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, and five steals. He scored all of Chicago’s seven points in the extra session, including a tough one-handed running jump hook with under a minute remaining to put the Bulls up by three. And in classic Pippen fashion, the Bulls star capped off his spectacular evening on the defensive end with a couple of blocks on two game-tying 3-point attempts by the Knicks to ensure the victory.
1. Cavaliers vs. Warriors 2016
The Cavaliers-Warriors rivalry in the 2010s is well-documented. And their showdown on Christmas Day of 2016 became one of the most highly-anticipated NBA Finals rematches in league history.
The hype behind this particular contest was through the roof, considering what just transpired between the two teams in their previous Finals encounter. LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and the Cavs spoiled Golden State’s bid for the greatest season ever by coming back from a 3-1 Finals deficit to win the 2016 NBA championship. Meanwhile, Stephen Curry and the Dubs countered in the offseason by signing Kevin Durant and creating arguably the greatest powerhouse team of all time.
The game proved to be as good as advertised as both teams went neck and neck until the final seconds. Kyrie Irving, in particular, was spectacular throughout the final two minutes of the game. He made several clutch plays, including the tough game-winning shot over Klay Thompson with 3.4 seconds remaining. Kevin Durant stumbled in the final possession and Cleveland got the best of their rivals in their first meeting since their historic NBA Finals encounter in 2016.
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