Image Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Which NBA team has played most games on Christmas?

NBA started playing games on Christmas Day in 1947 and one year before, the league started.

Image Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

NBA Christmas Day is arriving with the 77th edition where 10 top teams will be in action. The league confirmed a schedule for the Wednesday and this is the 17th straight year, when NBA will feature five games on Christmas Day. Some tops stars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic, and Kevin Durant will be in action.

#NBAXmas is the gift that keeps giving 🎄

🎁 Spurs vs. Knicks
🎁 Timberwolves vs. Mavericks
🎁 76ers vs. Celtics
🎁 Lakers vs. Warriors
🎁 Nuggets vs. Suns pic.twitter.com/djKYNNiZWp
— NBA (@NBA) August 15, 2024

Let’s learn some facts about the NBA Christmas Day.

When did the NBA Christmas Day start?

NBA started playing games on Christmas Day in 1947 and one year before, the league started. The New York Knicks and the Providence Steamrollers played NBA’s first Christmas Day game at Madison Square Garden. 1998 was the only year when NBA didn’t organise the Christmas Day due to a lockout.

Which team has played most games on Christmas Day?

New York Knicks, who was part of the iconic Christmas Day game for the first time in 1947, has the record of most games on Christmas. The Knicks have played 56 matches in NBA on December 25.

Out of 56, New York won 24 matches and they are tied with Los Angeles Lakers for the record of most wins on NBA Christmas Day. Both teams will be in action again this year.

Despite the record of most wins, do you know which teams has the best winning percentage on Christmas Day? Surprisingly, Miami Heat have the highest win percentage at .857 (12-2 record) and they are also on a nine-game winning streak on Dec. 25.

However, Miami Heat’s nine-game winning streak is not the longest winning streak as the Portland Trail Blazers won 13 straight Christmas Day games from 1972 to 2007.

Let’s take a look around the list of teams playing most number of matches on Christmas Day. All five teams will take part in 2024 NBA Christmas Day.

Teams	Number of matches	First match on Christmas	Last match on Christmas
New York Knicks	56	1947	2023
Los Angeles Lakers	50	1949	2023
Boston Celtics	37	1948	2023
Philadelphia 76ers	34	1967	2023
Golden State Warriors	33	1948	2023

Here are some crazy numbers from the history of NBA Christmas Day:

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are tied for the most NBA Christmas Day wins with 10 each.
LeBron James is also the career leader in Christmas Day games with 18 and he has also scored the most points on Christmas Day. Guess how many? 476 points
Everyone remember Luka Doncic’s 50 points against the Suns last year but Bernard King has the record of most points on Christmas Day. The Knicks star scored 60 points against the New Jersey Nets in 1984 but his side lost the game.
Only four players including Luka Doncic scored at least 50 points on Christmas Day.

Image Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Christmas Day

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NBA Christmas Games

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Gulshan Sharma

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A native of Jaipur, Rajasthan, journalist, and a complete soccer and basketball fan, he found the huge interest with basketball by watching videos of Allen Iverson and Tony Parker, but fell head over heels in love with the sport during the Warriors’ championship era (2015-2018). A sports game addict since his late PS1, he’s also passionate about the Eagles, Inter Miami and the Fever. He’s fortunate to have seen all his favorite teams win championships. He also has a special love for cricket and football (soccer), where he is a fan of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Barcelona.