The 25th of December means many things for many people, some love it for the presents, some for the food. But for basketball fans, the 25th of December means NBA's Christmas games.
Ten teams will participate in the festive affair, including a tantalizing match-up between LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors. The Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and New York Knicks are all among the other teams involved in the Christmas Day games, which will take place from midday right through to the late evening.
Boston Hoping to Bounce Back at Madison Square Garden
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The lunchtime tip-off sees the Boston Celtics travel to face fellow Eastern side the New York Knicks, shortly after the side's defeat to the Thunder on Friday.
The Knicks meanwhile have won their last two games on the bounce, following a run of three losses in a row. The Celtics are only ahead of their Christmas Day opponents by a single win and go into the game boasting a clean bill of health, per ESPN.
Leading the sides scoring so far this season have been Isaiah Thomas (27.0 ppg) and Carmelo Anthony (22.5 ppg) respectively.
The two teams have already met once this season, back in November. The Celtics blew New York off the court in a 87-115 victory.
Battle of the Behemoths
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For the first time since seeing his side produce the most unpredictable of comebacks in June, LeBron James will take to the court to face the Golden State Warriors this Christmas Day.
Both sides top their respective conferences with the Warriors going into the match hoping to extend their seven-game winning streak, which stands as the longest in the league at this moment.
The Cleveland Cavaliers' record of 22-6 might not as be as flattering as that of their opponents, but LeBron's side have lost just once in their last ten games.
King James leads the Cavs in points per game with a 25.3 average so far this season. Both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love boast 20+ points per game averages too. Summer addition Kevin Durant is converting over 54 percent of his shots for Golden State so far this campaign.
The 2016 Champions are without J.R. Smith due to injury.
Dwyane Wade Hoping for Christmas Day Win Number 11
The Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs will face each other for the second time this season come late afternoon, with Dwyane Wade hoping to continue to make history.
The experienced shooting guard currently boasts an impressive ten Christmas Day wins, the most of any player in NBA history. The 34-year-old is averaging 19.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game during his maiden season in Chicago.
Stood in his way are the Spurs, led by two-time Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard, who will hope to combine with LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol en-route to a win.
However, Gregg Popovich's side have only won 50 percent of their home games this season, despite coming away as the victor in 16 of their 18 road matches this campaign.
Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves Meet Northwest Division Derby
Fresh off the back of their 18th win from 30 games, the Thunder and the Chesapeake Energy Arena will play host to the Minnesota Timberwolves in an evening tip-off.
Russell Westbrook will be hoping for another triple-double, having made it 14 for the season on Friday. He's also shot 40-plus points in each of his last three games.
The Thunder beat Minnesota in the series opener back in November, in a game that saw 21-year-old Karl-Anthony Towns score 33.
Andrew Wiggins will also prove a threat on the offense for the Timberwolves, although his 21.7-point average has done little to help the side improve on their 31-percent win percentage this season.
Victor Oladipo will be a major loss for OKC, with the shooting guard still expected to be out with a wrist injury.
This City Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us
Christmas Day's late tip-off will the see the Los Angeles Lakers face off against fellow Los Angeles franchise, the Clippers.
Despite the history behind the purple and gold clad team, it's the latter who have started the season stronger, with a 22-9 record compared a 11-22 one for the Lakers.
But the Clippers are expected to be without Blake Griffin (knee) and could be without Chris Paul (hamstring) for the tense affair, leaving the Lakers with room to pounce.
Despite starting every game on the bench, Lou Williams leads the Lakers in points per game so far this season with 18.9.
The scoring responsibility for the Clippers will fall on the shoulders of J.J .Redick, who has started the season with a stat-line of 15.2 points per game, 1.8 rebounds per game, and one assist per game.