No NBA games for Boston Celtics on opening night, Christmas Day
But with star Boston forward Jayson Tatum sitting out much if not all of the 2025-26 regular season, the league has elected to pass the Celtics by for both marquee dates this year. In their place, the NBA has announced via Shams Charania a compelling slate of games that, for all their gravitas, won't hit quite the same for Boston fans.
For opening night, the games will feature a smaller lineup of contests as tends to be the case, with the Houston Rockets at the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors at the Los Angeles Lakers.
Christmas Day will continue to be the marquee date of the regular season, featuring a slate of five contests based mostly in the league's West. The sole East contest includes the Cleveland Cavaliers at the New York Knicks.
In the Western Conference, we have the San Antonio Spurs at the Thunder, the Rockets at the Lakers, the Dallas Mavericks at the Warriors, and the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Denver Nuggets.
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