By: Betty Cantley
NBA Christmas Day 2025 lived up to the hype, featuring a historic triple-double by Nikola Jokic, a massive comeback at Madison Square Garden, and a statement win by the surging San Antonio Spurs.
Game Highlights:
1. Denver Nuggets 142, Minnesota Timberwolves 138, (OT): This was the “game of the day.” Nikola Jokic delivered a performance for the ages, recording 56 points, 16 rebounds, and 15 assists – a 55/15/15 game in NBA history.
• The drama Anthony Edwards (44 pts)
hit a deep three at the buzzer to force
Over time, Jokic took over in the
extra period, scoring a Christmas
record 18 points in OT alone.
2. New York Knicks 126, Cleveland Cavaliers 124: The Knicks proved why they are the reigning NBA Cup Champions with a methodical 17-point comeback in the fourth quarter.
• The Hero: Rookie Tyler Kolek was the
“Grinch” for Cleveland, scoring 16
points and making several clutch
hustle plays, including a game-saving
Stopping of Cleveland’s Donavon
Mitchell in the final two minutes.
3. San Antonio Spurs 117, Oklahoma City Thunder 102: The Spurs are officially the most dangerous team in the league, having now beaten the defending champion OKC three times in two weeks
• Wemby vs. Chet: Victor Wembanyama
continued his dominance over the
West’s top seed, while De’Aaron Fox
led the scoring with 29 points to keep
The Spurs’ 8-game winning streak is alive.
4. Golden State Warriors 126, Dallas Mavericks 116: This game featured a warm embrace between “Splash Brothers” Steph Curry and Klay Thompson before tipoff.
• The Teenager: Mavs rookie Cooper
Flagg joined LeBron James as the
The only teenager to score 25+ on Christ-
mas, finishing with 27 points. How-
However, Curry’s late three-pointer ended
The Dallas comeback attempt.
5. Houston Rockets 119, Los Angeles Lakers 96: The Rockets dominated from the opening tip. Amen Thompson (26 pts) and Kevin Durant (25 pts) capitalized on a slow Lakers defense.
• Lakers Struggles: Despite a 20-point
night from Luka Doncic, the Lakers
looked fatigued, especially after Austin
Reaves re-aggravated a calf injury mid-
game.
“Stat of the Day:” Nikola Jokic now holds the record for the most points scored in a Christmas Day overtime period (18). His 56-point triple-double is also the highest-scoring triple-double in the history of NBA holiday games.