Nikola Jokić: 56 points, 16 rebounds, 15 assists.
A stat line never achieved before.
A Christmas classic that will live in basketball lore.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Dec. 26, 2025
Merry Masterpiece: Jokić caps a historic OT thriller with a timeless takeover
New Spurs Statement: San Antonio beats OKC for 3rd time in 2 weeks, hands champs 1st home loss
True Believers: Heart, hustle and more holiday magic sparks Knicks rally at MSG
Christmas In Cali: Warriors overcome Flagg’s big day, Rockets outpace Lakers in L.A.
Tonight On Prime: Maxey & Giddey go toe-to-toe, Kawhi & Clips streak into Portland
BUT FIRST … ⏰
An epic Christmas and more hoops to unbox tonight…
Nine games tip off on Friday, highlighted by a Prime doubleheader as the Bulls host the Sixers (7:30 ET | Tap to Watch), before the Clippers visit the Blazers (10 ET | Tap to Watch).
Name Your All-Stars: Fans can vote for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game starters every day through Jan. 14 using their NBA ID. Make it count, vote now.
1. JOKIĆ MAKES HISTORY IN INSTANT CHRISTMAS CLASSIC
Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
Christmas Day opened with a 17-point 4th-quarter comeback at MSG. Twelve hours later, the Wolves found themselves down 15 in Denver with 5:45 left.
What transpired over the next hour was pure basketball bliss. A game that refused to end. Superstars who refused to fold. Holiday hoops at its peak.
The night crescendoed into an all-time Christmas classic – punctuated by an all-time performance.
Nuggets 142, Wolves 138 (OT): Minnesota roared back with a 16-2 run late in the 4th, but still trailed by 3 with four seconds to play.
With one last chance to tie it, the Wolves turned to Anthony Edwards, who received the inbound, spun, rose and splashed a fadeaway 3 with 1.1 ticks left to force OT.
Bart Young + Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
Ant didn’t stop there, igniting a 9-0 run to open overtime, capped by another 3 to hit 40 points on the night.
But then Nikola Jokić went somewhere else entirely. Already with a 38-point triple-double, the Joker entered a new dimension in the extra frame, dropping 18 points to will Denver back and outduel Edwards (44 pts, 6 reb, 5 3s) in a record-setting Christmas thriller. | Recap
- Never Before: Jokić finished with 56 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists – marking the first 55/15/15 game in NBA history
- Holiday Heat: He did it on 15-of-21 shooting (71.4%), while going 22-of-23 from the line and 4-of-6 from deep
- OT Takeover: He shot 100% from the field in OT, including two 3s to ignite a 16-4 run, before sinking his last 8 free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the win
- “It’s unbelievable,” said Peyton Watson on Jokić postgame. “There’s no way we can take for granted what he did tonight – and every night.”
Ultimate Stocking Stuffer: Jokić started the night with more records, piling up 23 points, 8 boards and 7 assists in the 1st half – numbers no player had ever tallied in any half on Christmas since play-by-play data was first tracked in 1998-99.
With 7:24 left in the 3rd quarter, he recorded his 15th triple-double of the season – the fastest triple-double in a Christmas Day game and his ninth this year before the 4th quarter.
By night’s end, he had dropped a holiday haul for the ages.
- All-Time Eruption: Jokić’s 56 points are the 3rd-most in a Christmas Day game – and the most in 41 years – trailing only Bernard King (60 in 1984) and Wilt Chamberlain (59 in ‘61)
- All-Time Impact: Not to mention his 15 dimes, as he accounted for 96 of Denver’s points – the 2nd-most by any player in a game in the play-by-play era
- Xmas X-Factor: That orchestration led to a Christmas Day record nine 3s from Jamal Murray (35 pts, 10 ast), who combined for 91 points with Jokić
- Quadruple 30s: Julius Randle added 32 for Minnesota, marking just the second Christmas game ever with two 30+ point scorers on both teams
Bart Young + Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
The Final Gift: It all culminated in a 50-point overtime – the highest-scoring OT in NBA history: 27 from Denver, 23 from Minnesota, 18 from the Joker and one night we’ll never forget.
- “56/16/15 … his statline is crazy,” said Nuggets coach David Adelman postgame. “But the reason being is he makes the right play all the time…
- “Just don’t get tired of this. He’s the best player in the world, bottom line … What he does nightly, it’s important for the game of basketball – it’s good for sports.”
2. SPURS EXTEND STREAK WITH ANOTHER WIN OVER OKC
They did it in Las Vegas in the Emirates NBA Cup Semifinals.
They did it in San Antonio in Tuesday’s rematch.
On Christmas Day, on OKC’s home floor — in a showdown of the top 2 teams in the West — the Spurs did it again.
Spurs 117, Thunder 102: In their third meeting in 13 days, San Antonio moved to 3-0 against OKC – this time, handing the defending champs their first home loss of the season behind De’Aaron Fox’s 29 points and 19 apiece from Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle. | Recap
- Spurs Surge: Fox dropped 21 points in the 1st half, as the Spurs jumped out to a 69-60 lead at the break – marking the most 1st-half points OKC has allowed all season
- Duality of San: Then the Spurs flexed their defensive muscle, using a 26-19 3rd quarter – OKC’s 2nd-lowest scoring quarter of the year – to take firm control, with Wemby directing traffic and disrupting look after look
- Light The Tree: That 3rd quarter ended in style as Keldon Johnson finished a monster putback to put San Antonio up 16 ⬇️
Christmas Close: When OKC cut its deficit to 9 early in the 4th, the Spurs answered with one final push, as a Wemby trey sparked a 9-3 burst to push the lead back to 15 – silencing the Paycom Center for San Antonio’s eighth straight win.
- Giant Slayers: The Spurs are the first team to beat the Thunder in three consecutive matchups since the 2023-24 season
- Giant Numbers: OKC has dropped just two other games all year, with a 26-2 record and a +16.8 average point differential against the rest of the NBA
- Giant Statements: In its three matchups vs. Oklahoma City, the Spurs are +12.3, including back-to-back 15+ point dubs
League On Notice: To be the best, you have to beat the best. San Antonio has done that not once, not twice, but three times in two weeks – flipping a budding rivalry on its head.
In real time, the Spurs have sprouted from a promising young squad to legit contenders – just 2.5 games back of OKC for 1st out West.
Against the defending champs, with the stakes raised, their young core has risen every time.
- Castle Cooking: Castle paired his 19 points with 7 dimes. He’s now averaging 21.7 ppg against the Thunder this season
- Harper Humming: After 10 assists against OKC on Tuesday, Dylan Harper scored 12 on 5-of-8 shooting while helping limit Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to 22 points
- Alien Impact: Wemby finished with a double-double while manning the middle (19 pts, 11 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk) as OKC was held to just 39% shooting – dropping to 14-1 at home
- “It’s an embodiment of the efforts and sweat we [put in] for months,” said Wembanyama on the Spurs’ emergence. “Each game is so intense and takes so much from you … the reward is incredible.”
3. CHRISTMAS COMEBACK: KNICKS RALLY PAST CAVS AT MSG
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
With under 11 minutes to play and down by 17 points, the Knicks were facing just their third home loss this season.
Then The Garden witnessed the first Christmas Day comeback of 2025 — and one of the biggest in the day’s history.
Knicks 126, Cavaliers 124: New York’s 42-point 4th quarter – sparked by 13 pts from Jalen Brunson, 11 from Tyler Kolek and 4 offensive boards from Mitchell Robinson – sparked its biggest comeback of the season and 3rd largest in Christmas Day history (play-by-play era). | Recap
- Stars Shine: Top-5 scorers Donovan Mitchell (7 reb, 6 ast, 4 3s) and Brunson (6 3s) granted every Christmas wish, leading all scorers with dueling 34-point performances and combining for 28 4th-quarter points.
- Holiday Bonus: Jordan Clarkson added 25 points with five 3s off the bench, tying JR Smith (2012) for the most Knicks’ points off the bench on Christmas
- Clutch Kolek: The Knicks’ sparkplug (16 pts, 9 ast, +24) chased down Mitchell on a break with under 2 minutes left & NYK down 1, blocking the dunk attempt and allowing New York to retake the lead next time down
The Knicks then took control in a thrilling, final-minute sequence bookended by Karl-Anthony Towns’ putback and an OG Anunoby slam off slick press-breaking ball movement.
- Christmas Crown: Mitchell’s 34 points match LeBron (2003) for most Cavs points on Christmas, and added one more poster slam to his stocking
- Cavs Cavalry: Darius Garland added 20 points and 10 assists, while Evan Mobley had 14 points and 9 rebounds in his first action in five games (calf)
- Dunk The Halls: Here’s how this back-and-forth thriller looked on “Dunk The Halls,” Disney’s live-animation simulcast, with Mickey filling Spida’s shoes to drop the hammer on everybody
4. CHRISTMAS IN CALI: DUBS OVERCOME FLAGG, ROCKETS TOP LAKERS
“They’re special,” said Steph Curry yesterday of Christmas Day games. “It’s a great honor [to play] … I don’t ever take it for granted. It is a different energy.”
Steph brought that same energy to the floor.
Warriors 126, Mavericks 116: Curry led seven Warriors in double figures with 23 points and 4 dimes, helping spark a 40-28 1st quarter as the Dubs took an early lead and slammed the door late to beat the Mavs, despite Cooper Flagg’s big Christmas debut (27 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast). | Recap
- Jimmy Buckets, Horford Heat: Jimmy Butler III added a near triple-double (14 pts, 9 reb, 9 ast), while Al Horford scored 11 of his 14 points in the 1st quarter, where he nailed three 3s
- Steph Hits 26K: Steph became the 22nd player in league history to hit 26,000 career points amid the win – Golden State’s third in a row
- Splash Bros Reunite: Klay Thompson linked with Steph pregame before scoring 7 against his former team, which he helped guide to four championships. Curry spoke on the reunion postgame
- Coop’s Big Christmas: Flagg dazzled on the holiday stage, joining LeBron as the only players 19 or younger to drop 25+ points on Christmas
- “Just a true hooper,” said Curry on Flagg after facing him for the first time. “Competitor. We forget how young he is … the league is in good hands.”
Rockets 119, Lakers 96: In his Christmas debut, Amen Thompson (26 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast) showed out alongside Kevin Durant (25 pts, 8 ast, 2 blk), leading the Rockets to a wire-to-wire win over Luka Dončić (25 pts, 5 reb, 7 ast) and the Lakers in Los Angeles. | Recap
- Amen Amazing: Thompson’s athleticism – and acrobatics – were on full display as he joined James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only Rockets to post 25/5/5 on Christmas
- Sengun & Smith: Alperen Sengun added a double-double (14 pts, 12 reb), while Jabari Smith Jr. notched 16 points and 7 boards
- Houston Hustle: The Rockets, who lead the league in offensive rebounds, collected 14 boards on the offensive glass, leading to 15 2nd-chance points and their first Christmas dub since 2018
- Christmas King: LeBron James let it snow ahead of his 20th Christmas Day game, before notching 18 points, 5 boards, 2 steals and 1 block for Los Angeles
5. TONIGHT ON PRIME: BULLS HOST SIXERS, CLIPS VISIT BLAZERS
Adam Hagy + Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images
It’s quickly becoming a season to remember for Tyrese Maxey.
The 6th-year guard is on pace for career-best numbers in points, rebounds and assists, among other statistical categories. He’s two years removed from winning Kia Most Improved Player of the Year.
Tonight (7:30 ET, Prime), Maxey can maintain the momentum.
The 76ers are poised to face the Bulls in an East battle. Philadelphia is picking up steam with seven victories in its last 11 outings, and now hits the road for a five-game trip.
- To The Max: Boasting 31.0 ppg — 3rd-most in the league — as well as 4.5 rpg and 6.9 apg, Maxey has excelled in a leadership role
- Emergent Embiid: A seven-time All-Star has played alongside him. Joel Embiid has averaged 29.3 ppg while shooting 50% from the field in his last three games
Chicago enters this matchup following back-to-back, two-point victories over Atlanta. Its winning streak now stands at four, thanks to two previous wins over Cleveland.
- Bull On Parade: Josh Giddey produced a 19/11/15 triple-double on Tuesday to secure his 7th this season – the 2nd-most in the NBA behind Nikola Jokić’s 14
- Close Calls: The Bulls sit 2.5 games shy of the Magic for 6th place in the East, while the 76ers are half a game behind the Raptors
In the West, the Clippers and Trail Blazers will go toe-to-toe (10 ET, Prime). LA’s first three-game winning streak of 2025-26 is on the line after defeats of the Lakers and Rockets.
- The Klaw: Kawhi Leonard is fresh off his first 40+ point effort since 2023, scoring 41 on Tuesday with 16-for-23 shooting in a 20-point victory over the Rockets
- Hot On The Trail: For Portland, Deni Avdija has pitched in 25.5 ppg and 6.6 apg — both career-bests — to make things happen offensively
On League Pass, Cade Cunningham and the top-seeded Pistons pay a visit to the Jazz (9:30 ET). The Grizzlies, meanwhile, can secure a 9th victory in their last 13 games when the Bucks come to town (8 ET).
- Heat at Hawks (7 ET)
- Hornets at Magic (7 ET)
- Raptors at Wizards (7 ET)
- Celtics at Pacers (7 ET)
- Suns at Pelicans (8 ET)
