The 2025 NBA Christmas Day slate featured five games, from a dramatic Knicks comeback at Madison Square Garden to a historic overtime performance by Nikola Jokic in Denver.
NBA Christmas Games 2025: all results
| Game | Winner | Final Score | Key Performer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cavaliers at Knicks | New York Knicks | 126–124 | Jalen Brunson – 34 pts |
| Spurs at Thunder | San Antonio Spurs | 117–102 | De’Aaron Fox – 29 pts |
| Mavericks at Warriors | Golden State Warriors | 126–116 | Stephen Curry – 23 pts |
| Rockets at Lakers | Houston Rockets | 119–96 | Amen Thompson – 26 pts |
| Timberwolves at Nuggets | Denver Nuggets | 142–138 OT | Nikola Jokic – 56 pts, 16 reb, 15 ast |
Knicks 126, Cavaliers 124: New York completes a 17-point comeback
New York Knicks 126 – Cleveland Cavaliers 124
The Christmas Day opener delivered immediate drama. Cleveland held a 17-point advantage in the fourth quarter, but the Knicks produced a major comeback to win 126–124.
Jalen Brunson scored 34 points, while Jordan Clarkson added 25. Reserve guard Tyler Kolek became one of the decisive players in the comeback, finishing with 16 points and nine assists.
Donovan Mitchell also scored 34 for Cleveland, but his late attempt to rescue the game did not fall.
Spurs 117, Thunder 102: Fox leads San Antonio
San Antonio Spurs 117 – Oklahoma City Thunder 102
San Antonio controlled much of the second game of the day and defeated Oklahoma City for the third time that season.
De’Aaron Fox scored 29 points to lead the Spurs. Victor Wembanyama contributed 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Stephon Castle added 19 points and seven assists.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 22 for Oklahoma City, but the Thunder were held to 39 percent shooting.
The victory was San Antonio’s eighth consecutive win and reinforced the Spurs’ strong run through late December.
Warriors 126, Mavericks 116: Curry closes it out
Golden State Warriors 126 – Dallas Mavericks 116
Golden State built an early advantage and held off Dallas to earn its third straight victory.
Stephen Curry scored 23 points and hit a key three-pointer late in the fourth quarter. Jimmy Butler added 14 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg produced one of the day’s most notable individual performances with 27 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Dallas also lost Anthony Davis during the game after he exited in the second quarter with groin spasms.
Rockets 119, Lakers 96: Houston dominates in Los Angeles
Houston Rockets 119 – Los Angeles Lakers 96
Houston produced the clearest win of the Christmas slate, leading throughout the game and pulling away from the Lakers.
Amen Thompson scored 26 points with seven rebounds and five assists. Kevin Durant added 25 points and nine assists.
Luka Doncic led Los Angeles with 25 points, while LeBron James scored 18.
Nuggets 142, Timberwolves 138: Jokic delivers an all-time Christmas performance
Denver Nuggets 142 – Minnesota Timberwolves 138
The final game of Christmas Day became the defining contest of the entire slate. Minnesota forced overtime, but Denver eventually prevailed 142–138.
Nikola Jokic finished with an extraordinary 56 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists, along with two blocks.
Jamal Murray added 35 points, while Anthony Edwards scored 44 for Minnesota.
Only Bernard King and Wilt Chamberlain had previously scored more points in a Christmas Day game.
Best performances of NBA Christmas Day 2025
56 points, 16 rebounds, 15 assists, 2 blocks vs Minnesota.
44 points in Minnesota’s overtime loss to Denver.
34 points as New York erased a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit.
34 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals for Cleveland.
29 points as San Antonio defeated Oklahoma City.
26 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in Houston’s win over the Lakers.
What defined NBA Christmas Day 2025?
The five-game slate produced several very different types of contests: a huge New York comeback, a controlled San Antonio road win, a strong Golden State performance, a dominant Houston victory and an overtime classic in Denver.
The lasting individual performance belonged to Jokic. His 56-point triple-double turned the final game of the day into one of the most remarkable Christmas Day performances in NBA history.
At the same time, Christmas 2025 also highlighted several different generations: Curry remained decisive for Golden State, Fox and Wembanyama drove San Antonio, Flagg impressed in his first Christmas game, and Brunson again delivered on the Madison Square Garden stage.
