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Christmas is undoubtedly one of the most exciting times and vibrant holidays of the year. The Christmas holidays are known for spending time with families and gathering around your loved ones. While the usual gatherings have become quite conventional and sort of boring, an added element of sports has added fun to the holiday season.
The NBA has had a slate of five games on Christmas Day for each of the last 16 seasons. On the other hand, NFL is finding new ways to get involved by branching out new schedules on Thursday, Sunday, and Mondays.
Sporting action to catch on Christmas Day 2023:
Let's go through the scheduled games that one can catch on Christmas to amp up the holiday season.
NFL games on Christmas Day:
The NFL has typically scheduled games on Christmas Day if it falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or Monday. If Christmas falls on Saturday, then it would just be part of the normal slate of the Saturday NFL games held during the final weeks of every regular season. On Sundays, the normal Sunday afternoon games are instead played on Saturday, and on Christmas Eve, the Christmas Day games will include the standard Sunday Night Football telecast.
If Christmas Day falls on a Monday, the normal Sunday afternoon games are played on Christmas Eve, and Monday Night Football gets telecast on Christmas night. However, the Sunday Night Football telecast gets moved to either Monday afternoon or Saturday, December 23.
Since Christmas Day 2023 falls on a Monday, here is the full list of the action taking place in the NFL on Christmas Day.
- Las Vegas Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Start time: 1 p.m. ET / 11:30 pm IST
- New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Start time: 4:30 p.m. ET / 3:00 am Tuesday, IST
- Baltimore Ravens vs. San Francisco 49ers
Start time: 8:15 p.m. ET / 6:45 am Tuesday, IST
NBA games on Christmas Day
NBA’s Christmas Day games have a rich history, beginning with the league's second season in 1947. In the first Christmas Day game, the New York Knicks recorded an 89-75 victory over the Providence Steamrollers. Apart from an exception in 1998 due to a lockout that led to the cancellation of a few games, the NBA has scheduled games on this day, each year. Since the year 2008, the NBA has presented a total of five games on Christmas Day with the strongest teams and athletes locking horns with each other. This year’s Christmas marks another exciting occasion in New York City, where the Knicks will take on the court amidst the jolly spirits of the festival.
NBA’s scheduled matches for Christmas Day are that one can watch with family and friends include,
Milwaukee Bucks at New York Knicks
Time: 12 p.m. ET / 10:30 pm IST
- Golden State Warriors at Denver Nuggets
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET / 1:00 am Tuesday, IST
- Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers
Time: 5 p.m. ET / 3:30 am Tuesday, IST
