Nikola Jokić and Stephen Curry will command the Christmas night spotlight when the Nuggets visit the Warriors.
The Denver Nuggets will receive one of the NBA’s most prominent regular-season stages when they visit Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day.
Denver and Golden State will conclude the league’s five-game holiday schedule at 10:30 p.m. Eastern on Friday, Dec. 25, at Chase Center. ABC and ESPN will televise each Christmas matchup for the 19th consecutive year, according to the NBA’s official schedule announcement.
The final game will feature two generational stars in Nikola Jokić and Curry, along with teams attempting to remain in the Western Conference championship picture.
It also will mark another Christmas appearance for two players who have become fixtures on the NBA’s marquee calendar. Curry is set to make his 13th Christmas appearance, while Jokić is scheduled for his seventh.
Jokić and Curry take center stage
Jokić will enter another season as the centerpiece of a Denver roster built around his scoring, rebounding and unmatched playmaking from the center position.
The three-time MVP delivered one of the most productive Christmas performances in league history last season. Jokić recorded 56 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists in Denver’s victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Apr 16, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Denver Nuggets centerNikolaJokic(15) dribbles the ball between Golden State Warriors guard StephenCurry(30) and forward Kevon Looney (5) in the second quarter during game one of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY SportsCurry remains Golden State’s biggest attraction entering his 18th NBA season. Although the Warriors face uncertainty surrounding Jimmy Butler III’s recovery from a torn ACL, Curry’s presence is enough to make the matchup one of the holiday schedule’s strongest draws.
Denver also brings Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon alongside Jokić. When healthy, that group has the continuity and postseason experience needed to challenge nearly any opponent in the West.
Golden State, meanwhile, will rely heavily on Curry while waiting to see how much of the season Butler can salvage. His expected absence for at least the first half of the campaign could place additional responsibility on the Warriors’ younger players.
Holiday schedule loaded with storylines
The Christmas schedule will begin with the San Antonio Spurs visiting the New York Knicks in a rematch of the 2026 NBA Finals.
The Miami Heat will then visit the Boston Celtics before LeBron James returns to Los Angeles as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. The defending champion Spurs’ Finals opponent, New York, opens the slate, while Oklahoma City visits Minnesota in the fourth game.
Denver and Golden State will provide the nightcap.
The Nuggets beat the Warriors 120-114 in their most recent Christmas meeting in 2023. Jokić finished with 26 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists, while Denver survived a late Golden State push.
The rematch offers the NBA an ideal closing attraction. Jokić can control a game through nearly every possession without dominating the ball, while Curry can alter one with a brief shooting eruption.
Christmas games do not determine a team’s postseason future, but they remain a sign of national relevance. By placing Denver in the final window against one of the league’s most recognizable franchises, the NBA is again presenting the Nuggets as one of its premier attractions.
