How to Watch the NBA on Christmas Day Online Without Cable
by Rudie Obias · VarietyIf you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.
Christmas means friends and family, gifts and NBA basketball. This season, Christmas features NBA superstars, including Victor Wembanyama, Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards, Luka Dončić, Paul George, Jayson Tatum, LeBron James, Steph Curry, Nikola Jokić and Kevin Durant.
For the NBA on Christmas Day, there are five games scheduled with 10 NBA powerhouse teams. The day of games tip off starting at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT, while all matchups air on ABC and ESPN, as well as NBA League Pass.
watch NBA on Christmas Day on DirecTV STReam
Who’s Playing during the NBA on Christmas Day?
The first game of Christmas features the San Antonio Spurs taking on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York with a start time of 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT. The second game features the Minnesota Timberwolves playing the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas with tipoff at 2:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. PT.
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The third has the Philadelphia 76ers battling the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts starting at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT, while the fourth game of the day has the prime time slot with the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center in San Francisco, California beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
And the fifth and final game of Christmas features the Denver Nuggets going head-to-head with the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona with a start time of 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.
Since NBA on Christmas Day broadcasts on ABC and ESPN, games are also available to watch online with internet-based cable alternatives, like DirecTV Stream — which offer a 5-day, and start at $74.99/month for new subscribers.
ABC and ESPN are available with a subscription to and Fubo, Hulu + Live TV and Sling Orange + Blue (depending on your local TV market). NBA on Christmas Day livestreams on NBA League Pass for subscribers only.
Not a subscriber? You can purchase the livestream feed of the game starting at $16.99/month for the standard plan, or $109.99/season when you sign up for an annual subscription here. In addition, you can go with NBA League Pass Premium (with offline viewing and in-arena ads) for $24.99/month, or $159.99/year for the annual plan.
watch NBA on Christmas Day on DirecTV STReam
Aside from NBA on Christmas Day, NBA League Pass is the home of all things NBA. The streaming service comes with live out-of-market local and primetime regular season games. It comes with access to postseason games, such as playoff games, the NBA All-Star Game in February and even the NBA Finals in June, with local and national radio game broadcasts, access to NBA TV and more. It’s all streamable on smartphones, tablets, web browsers and smart TVs.
Meanwhile, the NBA has an alternative kid-friendly broadcast called “Dunk the Halls” for the Spurs vs. Knicks game. If you want to watch Mickey Mouse and the gang playing basketball with NBA players, it airs on ESPN2, ESPN+ and Disney+.
Tickets to the game are still available on TicketNetwork and VividSeats. In fact, you can save $150 off when you spend $500 with promo code VARIETY150, or $300 off when you spend $1,000 with promo code VARIETY300 at TicketNetwork.com.
Buy NBA on Christmas Tickets at TicketNetwork
You can use code VAR2024 to take $20 off your ticket purchase at VividSeats.com.
With tipoff at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT for the first game, all of the NBA on Christmas Day games broadcast on ABC and ESPN via DirecTV Stream and livestreams on NBA League Pass.