With it being Christmas, it’s that time of the year in the basketball calendar—the NBA’s traditional games on Santa’s holiday. It is as traditional as the NFL’s Thanksgiving games. With the NFL slowly trying to make both holidays their own, we basketball fans will know and believe that Christmas is an NBA day. That said, we have had plenty of games on Xmas Day that were filled with nail-biters, poster dunks, and even buzzer-beating game-winners. Let’s dive into my Top-5 NBA Christmas games of all time!
5. Denver Nuggets Escape With Phoenix Suns’ Gifts in OT, 2022
Let’s go back to 2022. This was a battle between two of the best teams in the NBA and a preview of what their six-game playoff series would look like. On one side, the eventual champions, led by the dynamic duo of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. On the other hand, a team that was holding on to the success of the previous two seasons was the Phoenix Suns.
Denver would jump out to an early 15-point lead in the first quarter. However, it would be the Suns leading at halftime 57-51. After falling by 12 in the 3rd, Jokic turned into the Joker, scoring 16 of his 41 points in that frame. Murray would have a chance to win at the buzzer, but Mikal Bridges would block his shot and force overtime, tied at 113.
After a grueling back-and-forth overtime, Aaron Gordon would throw down one of the best posterizing dunks you will ever see on Landry Shamet, who had, at the time, a career-high 31 points. The Denver Nuggets would escape with a narrow 128-125 victory. In a game with plenty of stars, here are the best performances of the night!
- Nikola Jokic – 41 points, 15 Rebounds, & 15 Assists
- Aaron Gordon – 28 Points & 13 Rebounds
- Chris Paul – 17 points & 16 Assists
- Deandre Ayton – 22 Points & 16 Rebounds
4. Rodger Mason Jr. Breaks Holiday Spirits of Shaq and Nash, 2008
If you want to talk about NBA rivalries during the early 2000s, the Suns and the San Antonio Spurs were just that. They met three times in the 2000s postseason, with the Spurs winning all three. This NBA December Classic matchup followed San Antonio’s Western Conference Finals victory over Phoenix last season.
Steve Nash and the Suns would jump out to an early 13-point lead with their usual run-and-gun offense, maximizing their ability to dominate the early transition game. It seemed every time the Spurs would cut into the lead, Phoenix would answer with a run of its own. With 5:49 left in the game, Tony Parker would hit a 14-foot jump shot to tie the game at 83.
Coming down to the end of the game, with four seconds left, Amar’e Stoudemire would connect with Grant Hill on a back-door pass for a game-leading layup that brought the Suns faithful to their feet. With four seconds left and the Spurs trailing 90-88, they needed some late-game heroics. Parker would hit Rodger Mason Jr. for the game-winning, buzzer-beating three-point shot to walk the Suns off 91-90. Late-game stars and role players were the key to San Antonio’s dynasty. Here are your game high performers!
- Tony Parker – 27 Points, 8 Assists, & 4 Steals
- Tim Duncan – 25 Points & 17 Rebounds
- Shaquille O’Neal – 23 Points, 12 Rebounds, & 4 Blocks
- Amar’e Stoudemire – 25 Points & 13 Rebounds
3. Two Legends Battle for Saint Nick’s Pleasure | 2024
Whenever LeBron James and Steph Curry are going against each other, you know it’s going to be magical. This game would be no different. Back and forth in the first quarter, Laker fans saw a sight that would be the beginning of the end for the LBJ X Anthony Davis duo. AD left the game after playing only 7:12 in the first frame and would not return.
Late in the third quarter, LA would extend its lead to double digits, 11, but as we all know, no lead is safe in the NBA. Steph turned into “Chef Curry” and exploded, scoring 17 of his 38 in the fourth. He was the only player for the Golden State Warriors who made more than one shot in the final frame. He wasn’t the only one who was having a stellar quarter; Austin Reaves was answering Curry at every corner, scoring 10 of his 26 in clutch time.
Steph scored the final eight for GSW, including a miraculous three-pointer deep in the right corner to cut the lead to one, and the game-tying three with 6.3 left in regulation. For a game that appeared destined to go to overtime, Santa couldn’t allow that. He had presents to deliver and couldn’t afford another five minutes. Reaves took the inbound pass, beat Andrew Wiggins off the dribble, and hit the game-winning layup with a second to go. Steph’s full-court heave was off the mark, and LA escaped with a win. Here are the night’s top performers!
- LeBron James – 31 Points, & 10 Assists
- Austin Reaves – 26 Points, 10 Rebounds, & 10 Assists
- Steph Curry – 38 Points, 8 Threes, & 6 Assists
- Andrew Wiggins – 21 Points & 12 Rebounds
2. Heso Melo Turned Everyone’s Christmas Colors Yellow | 2011
Back in 2011, MSG hosted one of the NBA’s best Christmas performances since Rudolph on that foggy night. This game between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks was a tale of two halves. Despite New York jumping out to a 17-point lead in the second quarter, Boston would cut the deficit to 10 entering halftime.
The second half was when the momentum swung. Rajon Rondo and the Celtics would jump all over Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks. From down 17 to up 87-79 late in the 3rd, the momentum had definitely swung. Brandon Bass would hit a 16-foot jumpshot to begin the 4th quarter and extend their lead to double digits. That is when Melo had other ideas.
Anthony would single-handedly score as many points in the final frame as the Celtics did as a team, 17. He would finish with 37 for the game and hit the game-winning free throws with 16 seconds left. Boston would get two more great looks to snatch the W away, including a Kevin Garnett mid-range shot that was just off the mark. That win snapped an eight-game losing streak the Knicks had against the Celtics. Here were the best performances of the night!
- Rajon Rondo – 31 Points, 13 Assists, & 5 Steals
- Brandon Bass – 20 Points & 11 Rebounds
- Carmelo Anthony – 37 Points & 8 Rebounds
- Amar’e Stoudemire – 21 Points & 8 Rebounds
1. The Best NBA Christmas Game Ever | 2016
This game was more than just an NBA game. This was the culmination of the two best teams of the era. On one side, LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, & Kevin Love are coming off their 3-1 NBA Finals comeback over a 73-win juggernaut. Who’s on the other side, you might ask. That 73-win team that added the second-best player in the world, Kevin Durant. In the modern NBA, this was the most talented game from a per-player perspective.
Like many Christmas games, the opening frame was as advertised, a back-and-forth affair. From Durant posterizing Love to the immediate lead pass to a LeBron vintage sidearm dunk, the pace seemed as if everyone was going 100 miles per hour, and the crowd was into it from the opening tip. Golden State would control the second half, jumping up to a 14-point lead with 9:35 left in the game.
“Uncle Drew” wouldn’t be denied. Kyrie Irving was excellent down the stretch, scoring 14 of his 25 in the fourth quarter. Curry would hit a transition three to put GS up 108-105 with 1:14 left in regulation. After an interesting sequence, Irving would cut their lead to one with 38 seconds left. The Cavs’ defense would force a shot-clock violation, and then it’s time to dance. Irving would go one-on-one with Klay Thompson and hit the turnaround fadeaway game-winning shot with 3.4 seconds remaining. Here were your top performers of the best NBA Christmas game ever!
- LeBron James – 31 Points & 13 Rebounds
- Kyrie Irving – 25 Points, 10 Assists, & 7 Steals
- Kevin Durant – 36 Points & 15 Rebounds
- Klay Thompson – 24 Points & 5 Three Pointers Made
Final Thoughts
That 2016 NBA Christmas game is such a core memory from that era of basketball. I can still close my eyes and remember where I was and watching my favorite basketball player. It was great because that game led right into my favorite NFL team playing for the division in the late-night game! What is your favorite NBA Christmas game?
As always, thank you so much for checking out my top five NBA Christmas games of all time! Be sure to check out our other amazing content here at New Leaf News! We hope you’re enjoying your Christmas, and we look forward to seeing you all again soon. Merry Christmas, everyone!
