The NBA Christmas Day schedule was just announced by ESPN's Shams Charania. The schedule is as follows: Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors, and Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets.
🚨🎄 NBA Christmas Day 2025 on ABC and ESPN, per sources:
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 8, 2025
- Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks
- San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder
- Houston Rockets at LA Lakers
- Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors
- Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets
Undoubtedly, the NBA gave Wolves fans an early Christmas wish with this matchup with the Nuggets. The league had many teams to choose from for the Wolves' Christmas Day matchup. However, the Nuggets are an excellent choice given their recent thrilling matchups. This also reflects a clear statement that the Wolves are one of the NBA's elite teams by giving them their second straight and fourth all-time Christmas Day game.
The Wolves-Nuggets matchup has everything fans could wish for
The Wolves and Nuggets are one of the best budding rivalries in the NBA. Last season, two of their four games were decided by double digits, including a classic double overtime thriller in April, where Nikola Jokić racked up a 61-point triple-double. Notably, the Wolves won all four of their matchups against the Nuggets last season.
Of course, the two squads also met in the second-round of the 2024 playoffs. The Wolves famously knocked out the defending champs in seven games. This included a shocking 15-point comeback from Minnesota on the road in Game 7. During this season, the two squads were separated by just a game in the regular season. Needless to say, fans should expect a down-to-the-wire game with plenty of theatrics. Having this game close out the Christmas Day slate feels fitting.
With Jokić and Anthony Edwards, this matchup has plenty of star power. The contrasting styles between the two stars always make this an exciting matchup. Furthermore, both teams are incredibly well-rounded and deep. It will be interesting to see how the Wolves react to Denver's improved supporting cast.
Over the past few seasons, the Wolves' frontcourt, led by Rudy Gobert, has had success against Jokić. Of course, the best player in the world still gets his and has some monster performances like he did in April. Regardless, there's no denying this Wolves squad has had an abnormal amount of success against the Nuggets.
The Wolves have also been able to contain Jamal Murray with their perimeter defense led by Jaden McDaniels. However, Nickeil Alexander-Walker was always a big part of this as well. It will be interesting to see if the Wolves can still contain Murray and who will step up other than McDaniels to guard him.
In addition to this being an excellent matchup, the NBA is sending a clear message that this is a relevant rivalry, something that is rare in today's league. Ultimately, this matchup should delight all NBA fans, and we are likely in for a treat on Christmas.