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The NBA will unveil its full schedule for the 2026/27 season on Thursday afternoon, but the league provided a sneak peak on Tuesday morning by announcing several opening week matchups, along with its full Christmas Day slate.

The schedule for the NBA’s annual showcase on December 25 will be as follows:

• San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks (12:00 pm ET)
• Miami Heat at Boston Celtics (2:30 pm ET)
• Philadelphia 76ers at Los Angeles Lakers (5:00 pm ET)
• Oklahoma City Thunder at Minnesota Timberwolves (8:00 pm ET)
• Denver Nuggets at Golden State Warriors (10:30 pm ET)

There aren’t any real surprises among the 10 teams the NBA will be in action on Christmas Day. Typically, the league wants to put its most marketable teams and its brightest stars on display. That means the day begins with a rematch of last year’s NBA Finals, then features Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo, Jayson Tatum, LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Nikola Jokicand Stephen Curry.

While Miami and Golden State didn’t make the playoffs last season, the addition of Antetokounmpo has made the Heat a must-see team in the first half of the 2026/27 season, while Curry and the Warriors have been a Dec. 25 mainstay for the last decade-and-a-half — this will be the 14th straight year in which they’ve been featured on the Christmas Day schedule.

Still, if you wanted to sub out a team or two from this lineup, they might be the top candidates.

As for which teams had a case to be included, the 60-win Pistonsled by Cade Cunninghammay be on top of that list. The Cavalierswho made the Eastern Conference finals this spring with Donovan Mitchell and James Harden leading the way, are on there too.

The Raptors could be among this year’s most intriguing clubs, but it makes sense that they’re not featured on Dec. 25, given that it’s still not a lock that their acquisition of Kawhi Leonard will move forward as planned. The Hawks are coming off a playoff berth and could be even better in 2026/27, but their best players – including forward Jalen Johnson – aren’t exactly household names like Giannis and Steph. The Pacers were in the NBA Finals in 2025 and should be back in contention this season with a healthy Tyrese Haliburtonbut it’s understandable that the league was reluctant to showcase them too heavily on the heels of a 19-win season.

Among Western Conference teams, Kevin Durant and the Rockets might be the biggest Christmas Day snub. Realistically, teams on the rise like the Jazz and Trail Blazers probably won’t earn serious consideration until they prove they’re closer to contending than they were last season.

As for the matchups themselves, it’s hard to argue with the decision to start the day with a Finals rematch, and LeBron’s lone road game against the Lakers should provide plenty of intrigue in the afternoon. Still, I thought we might get a Sixers/Celtics showdown on the Christmas Day schedule, featuring Brown against his old team.

We want to know what you think. Did the NBA pick the right 10 teams to play on Christmas Day? If not, which ones which you have liked to see instead? What would your ideal slate of five Dec. 25 games look like?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!