Miami Heat coach Eric Spoelstra played in 12 Christmas games in the Heat's first 20 seasons, either as a coach, assistant coach or head coach. But in the next eight seasons, the Heat played only once on Christmas. Spoelstra knows that for an NBA team, it's better to play at Christmas than not at all. This season, the Heat are returning to the league's holiday schedule for the first time since 2020 when they host the Philadelphia 76ers at home as part of the NBA's traditional Christmas game. In addition, the Bucks will take on the New York Knicks on the road, the Golden State Warriors will take on the defending champions Denver Nuggets on the road, the Boston Celtics will take on the Los Angeles Lakers on the road, and the Dallas Mavericks will take on the Phoenix Suns on the road. Spoelstra said: "It's an honour for me to be able to play at Christmas. We haven't even played a Christmas race for several years in a row. "The whole league is not going to play at Christmas.
Other teams also stressed the extraordinary significance of participating in the Christmas War. The Golden State Warriors have become a holiday tradition to play at Christmas!In the last 14 years, they have played on the December 25 schedule 13 times. Warriors guard Stephen Curry is excited about the upcoming game. "The big game at Christmas is going to be a great vibe," Curry said. On the road, it will be a test. "The Christmas schedule has long been considered an unofficial climax in the NBA schedule, and more and more fans are paying attention to it. LeBron James will also be paying attention to this – although it will have to wait until some other Christmas business is done. As the player who has played the most Christmas games in NBA history, James' first task this holiday season is to watch his 9-year-old daughter happily tear open the gift wrapper. On Saturday, after leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, he said, "The only thing I care about is watching my daughter wake up and see the look on her face when she opens the present."
The Lakers were the team with the most wins on Christmas, with a total of 24 wins, one more than the New York Knicks. The Knicks will continue their Christmas record with their 56th Christmas game. Teams that have never won at Christmas include the Charlotte Hornets (0-0), the Memphis Grizzlies (0-1) and the Toronto Raptors (0-2). James is aiming for his 11th win on Christmas, which would break the record for most wins in a Christmas game in NBA history. In his 18th Christmas game, he will continue his record: Kobe Bryant played in 16 games, the second-highest player in the league. Kevin Durant, who has the second-most appearances among active players, will make his 11th appearance in a Christmas game when the Suns face the Mavericks.
Spoelstra, who has an 8-0 managerial record over Christmas, will be aiming to become the fifth manager to go nine wins at Christmas, joining Jack Ramsay (11-3), Phil Jackson (11-7), Jean Shu (9-4) and Red Orr** (9-6). There are 10 teams this Christmas, nine of which played last year on December 25. The only exception is Miami — Eastern Conference champions the Heat are back on the Christmas schedule, while the Grizzlies are leaving after making their debut last year. The Lakers are on the Christmas schedule for the 25th year in a row, while the Golden State Warriors are on the Christmas schedule for the 11th year in a row. Boston won the Christmas game for the 8th year in a row, Milwaukee for the 6th year in a row, and Dallas for the 4th year in a row. New York and Phoenix have been drafted each of the past three years, while Denver and Philadelphia are back on the Christmas schedule for the second season in a row. The Mavericks' Luka Doncic will arrive in Phoenix, and he is currently 11 points away from his career 10,000 points.
If he can play the game against the Suns on Monday, it will be the 358th game of his career, and he will tie Bob McAdoo as the sixth-fastest player in NBA history to score 10,000 points. Other faster players: Wilt Chamberlain (236), Michael Jordan (303), Elgin Baylor (315), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (319) and Oscar Robertson (334). Meanwhile, for the Suns, Durant only needs one point to become the fifth player in history to score 300 points on Christmas. He will join James (460), Kobe Bryant (395), Robertson (377) and Wade (314). In addition, Charlotte has yet to play in the Christmas game, while several other teams have been waiting a long time to be part of the holiday squad. Over the past few years, the Christmas basketball game has been a high-profile event in the world of sports.
In 2003, the Sacramento played in their final Christmas game, and the Pacers joined the tradition in 2004. Detroit then took to the stage for Christmas in 2005, and Orlando rejoined the event in 2011. In their most recent Christmas game, Chicago and San Antonio participated in the high-profile basketball event in 2016.