NBA on Christmas Day: 5 memorable games when the stars came to play

It has been a tradition for 76 years -- the stars come out when the NBA plays on Christmas Day.

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There have been some glittering performances since the NBA’s inaugural Christmas Day game in 1947, held during the league’s second season. According to NBA.com, there will be five Christmas Day games for the 16th consecutive season.

The Milwaukee Bucks face the New York Knicks beginning at 12 p.m. EST, followed by Golden State at Denver (2:30 p.m.), Boston at the Los Angeles Lakers (5 p.m.), Philadelphia at Miami (8 p.m.) and Dallas at Phoenix (10:30 p.m.). ESPN will televise all five games, while ABC will air the Warriors vs. the Nuggets and the Celtics against the Lakers.

LeBron James is the Christmas Day career leader in points (460) and games played (17) and shares the most victories (10) with Dwyane Wade, according to NBA.com. In team action, the Lakers have the most victories on Dec. 25 with 24, one ahead of the New York Knicks.

Here are some memorable games from Christmas Day.

Knicks 136, Warriors 135 (2OT) (1961)

Wilt Chamberlain’s 59 points and 36 rebounds were not enough as Philadelphia fell to New York in double overtime. In only his third NBA season, “The Stilt” also connected on 13 free throws for Philadelphia, according to Basketball-Reference.com. NBA.com notes that the Big Dipper’s rebounding total is a Christmas Day record, and his point totals were a Christmas Day record for 23 years. Richie Guerin led New York with 40 points.

Nets 120, Knicks 114 (1984)

Bernard King broke Chamberlain’s record for points scored in a game on Christmas Day, pouring in 60 points on 19-for-30 shooting while making 22 of 26 free throws, according to The Sporting News. King also had seven rebounds and four assists.

And just like Chamberlain, King’s gaudy numbers on offense were not enough to secure a victory. Micheal Ray Richardson scored 36 points, including a 16-for-17 effort from the free-throw line, as the Nets outscored the Knicks 33-23 to pull out the victory.

Nevertheless, King became only the third player to score 50 points in a Christmas Day game, joining Chamberlain and Rick Barry, who scored 50 points in 1966.

Heat 104, Lakers 102 (OT) (2004)

Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant had won three NBA titles during eight seasons as teammates in Los Angeles, but Shaq was now in Miami after requesting a trade, according to NBA.com.

The hyped showdown was worth it, as Bryant scored 42 points. O’Neal, who scored 24 and had 11 rebounds, was assisted by Dwyane Wade’s 29 points and 10 assists. Miami outscored the Lakers 10-8 in overtime to secure its 11th straight victory. The Heat would win three more games before losing to Seattle on Jan. 5, 2005.

Knicks 86, Bulls 85 (1986)

Patrick Ewing’s put-back at the buzzer helped the Knicks slip past Chicago in Michael Jordan’s first Christmas Day appearance in the NBA. Jordan scored a game-high 30 points against the Knicks.

Trent Tucker had missed a 3-point attempt, and as the ball came off the rim Ewing grabbed the rebound and put up a shot as time expired, according to The Sporting News. Ewing finished with 28 points.

Lakers 92, Celtics 83 (2008)

In a rematch of the previous season’s NBA Finals, the Lakers snapped the Celtics’ 19-game winning streak and made Phil Jackson the sixth NBA coach to win 1,000 games.

Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 27 points, according to Basketball-Reference.com. Teammate Pau Gasol scored 20, including seven in the final three minutes of the game, CNN reported.

“They had just won 19 straight games so they were due for one,” Bryant told ESPN. “It was a challenge to stop the streak because they were playing so well.”