San Antonio Spurs

The 2026 Christmas Day slate will begin with an NBA Finals rematch.

The NBA announced Tuesday morning that the San Antonio Spurs will travel to face the reigning NBA champion New York Knicks on December 25 at Madison Square Garden, with tipoff scheduled for 11 a.m. CT on ABC and ESPN.

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The NBA will feature five games on Christmas Day (Friday, Dec. 25) for the 19th consecutive year, with ABC and ESPN both televising each matchup.

Highlights include the first meeting between the Knicks and Spurs since the 2026 NBA Finals, as well as new 76er LeBron James’ return… pic.twitter.com/CgWdaaFJXN

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) August 11, 2026

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According to NBA Communications, the matchup will be the first meeting between the two teams since the Knicks defeated the Spurs in five games in June to capture their first title since 1973.

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The NBA also announced a pair of opening-week games for San Antonio. On opening night, the Spurs will host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, October 20, at the Frost Bank Center. The rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals will tip off at 8:30 p.m. CT on NBC and Peacock. Three days later, the Spurs will travel to Austin to host former Texas Longhorns star Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets at Moody Center, with tipoff scheduled for 8:30 p.m. CT on Prime Video.

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