NBA confirms Spurs-Knicks Finals rematch for Christmas Day broadcast

The National Basketball Association has confirmed the headline matchup for its 2026 Christmas Day schedule, announcing that the San Antonio Spurs will face the New York Knicks on December 25. The game will be held at Madison Square Garden in New York, marking the first competitive meeting between the two franchises since the Knicks defeated the Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals.

According to the league’s announcement, tip-off is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT. The contest will be televised nationally on ABC and ESPN, continuing the broadcaster’s long-standing coverage of the holiday slate. The NBA will feature five games on Christmas Day for the 19th consecutive year, with all matchups broadcast across both networks.

The Knicks, who secured their first championship since 1973 by defeating San Antonio in five games in June, will play their 59th Christmas Day game, an NBA record dating back to the league’s first holiday broadcast in 1947. The Spurs, meanwhile, are looking to build on positive marks received for their offseason moves as they pursue a return to the title series.

In addition to the Christmas Day fixture, the NBA Communications office highlighted the Spurs’ opening-week schedule. San Antonio will host the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Frost Bank Center on Tuesday, October 20, for opening night. The game, a rematch of the previous year’s Western Conference Finals, is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. CT and will air on NBC and Peacock.

Three days later, the Spurs will travel to Austin to face the Houston Rockets at the Moody Center. The matchup features former Texas Longhorns star Kevin Durant and is set for 8:30 p.m. CT on Prime Video. The announcement also referenced a tweet from NBA Communications on August 11, 2026, which mentioned a “new 76er LeBron James’ return,” though this detail remains inconsistent with the primary focus on the Spurs-Knicks championship rematch.