The NBA season typically has its unofficial start on Christmas Day. That's when many sports fans decide it's time to (at least temporarily) take a break from football and check out their favorite basketball teams.
Nothing is typical in 2020, of course. The league kicked off its new campaign on Dec. 22, so the Christmas slate has arrived quickly. One thing that hasn't changed? The schedule is loaded with star power.
Here's a full breakdown of the NBA's 2020 Christmas Day schedule, which features a primetime Western Conference matchup between the Mavericks and Lakers.
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NBA Christmas schedule 2020
The Pelicans and Heat will meet at the American Airlines Arena in Miami for the first Christmas Day game. After watching that contest on ESPN, you can flip over to ABC for Warriors-Bucks, Nets-Celtics and Mavericks-Lakers before jumping back to ESPN for Clippers-Nuggets.
All games are also available to stream via Watch ESPN or the Watch ESPN app.
(All times Eastern)
| Game | Time | Channel |
| Pelicans vs. Heat | Noon | ESPN |
| Warriors vs. Bucks | 2:30 p.m. | ABC |
| Nets vs. Celtics | 5 p.m. | ABC |
| Mavericks vs. Lakers | 8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN |
| Clippers vs. Nuggets | 10:30 p.m. | ESPN |
LIVE SCORES: Keep up with Christmas Day action
NBA TV schedule on Christmas
ESPN's "First Take" will air from 10 a.m.-Noon ET prior to the start of Pelicans vs. Heat. Play-by-play man Ryan Ruocco and analyst Richard Jefferson will then take over with commentary from their homes. That team will also call Clippers vs. Nuggets on Friday night.
In addition to live game coverage, ABC will feature the "NBA Countdown" crew of Maria Taylor, Jalen Rose, Jay Williams and Adrian Wojnarowski breaking down the latest news and notes from around the league.
| Game | Play-by-play | Analyst | Reporter |
| Pelicans vs. Heat | Ryan Ruocco | Richard Jefferson | Israel Gutierrez |
| Warriors vs. Bucks | Dave Pasch | Hubie Brown | Cassidy Hubbarth |
| Nets vs. Celtics | Mark Jones | Doris Burke | Lisa Salters |
| Mavericks vs. Lakers | Mike Breen | Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson | Rachel Nichols |
| Clippers vs. Nuggets | Ryan Ruocco | Richard Jefferson | Malika Andrews |
NBA Christmas 2020 scores, results
Check back here throughout Christmas Day for the final score from each game as well as the leaders in key statistical categories.
| Final score | Points | Assists | Rebounds |
| Heat 111, Pelicans 98 | Zion Williamson, 32 | Goran Dragic, 9 | Zion Williamson, 14 |
| Bucks 138, Warriors 99 | Khris Middleton, 31 | Stephen Curry/Jrue Holiday, 6 | Giannis Antetokounmpo, 13 |
| Nets 123, Celtics 95 | Kyrie Irving, 37 | Kyrie Irving, 8 | Jarrett Allen, 11 |
| Lakers 138, Mavericks 115 | Anthony Davis, 28 | LeBron James, 10 | Marc Gasol, 9 |
| Clippers 121, Nuggets 108 | Nikola Jokic, 24 | Nikola Jokic, 10 | Nicolas Batum, 10 |
