It’s that time of year, where NBA players will be dropping buckets like Santa sliding down a chimney. That’s right, the NBA on Christmas Day returns with a loaded lineup of 5 games across more than 12 hours of coverage.
Teams from the Eastern and Western Conferences will battle it on the hardwood in what is expected to be an exciting day for NBA fans. The defending Eastern Conference and NBA champions and the Western Conference champions will be taking the floor on Christmas in intraconference play. The current favorite to win NBA MVP Steph Curry will have a chance to extend his all-time lead in 3-pointers in front of a national audience. LeBron and the Lakers will host a who’s who Brooklyn Nets team in the only interconference game of the day at the newly christened Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Not everything will be jolly, as the NBA on Christmas has its own lump of coal, as superstars Giannis Antetokounmpo, Trae Young, Andrew Wiggins, and teammates Kevin Durant and James Harden are ruled out due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols. There has been an uptick in COVID cases around the league and the aforementioned players will have to cheer on their teammates competing on the floor.
Even without some of the NBA’s marquee names, Christmas basketball will still be a highlight of the day and cord cutters can find out how to watch the NBA on Christmas below.
NBA on Christmas Day 2021 Schedule
| Game | Time (ET) | Network |
| NBA Countdown presented by Mountain Dew | 10:00 AM | ESPN, ESPN App, |
| Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks | 12:00 PM | ESPN, ESPN App, |
| NBA Countdown presented by Papa John’s | 2:00 PM | ABC, ESPN App |
| Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks | 2:30 PM | ABC, ESPN App |
| Golden State Warriors vs. Phoenix Suns | 5:00 PM | ABC, ESPN App |
| NBA Countdown presented by Papa John’s | 7:30 PM | ABC, ESPN App |
| Brooklyn Nets vs. Los Angeles Lakers | 8:00 PM | ABC, ESPN, ESPN App |
| Dallas Mavericks vs. Utah Jazz | 10:30 PM | ESPN, ESPN App |
Where to watch the NBA on Christmas Day
Most cord cutters can watch the ABC games for free with an antenna. AntennaWeb is a great tool you can use to see what channels the game will be available in your area.
Cord cutters without an antenna can watch the NBA on Christmas by subscribing to any streaming service that carries ABC, ESPN, or by using the Watch ESPN app. Choosing from any of these subscription services below has its benefits because there are no hidden fees, you can cancel anytime with most offering a free trial for new subscribers.
Subscribers to live TV streaming services can check out our chart below to see if your service will be streaming today’s games.
| Channel | DIRECTV STREAM | fuboTV | Hulu with Live | Sling Orange | Sling Blue | Vidgo | YouTube TV |
| $69.99 | $64.99 | $69.99 | $35 | $35 | $55 | $64.99 | |
| ESPN | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| ABC | X | X | X | X | X | X |
Cord cutters can find out how to watch the rest of this week’s NBA games here.
Enjoy watching the highlights from the biggest stars the NBA has to offer this Christmas.