The NBA had a great slate of five competitive Christmas games this year. However, the Thunder did not get a Christmas game, and they haven’t played on Christmas since 2018. It was a big shock that the NBA didn’t give the top seed in the Western Conference from last season a Christmas game. This year, the Thunder have positioned themselves to claim the number one seed again. They have a 3.5-game lead over the Houston Rockets, who are the second seed. If the Thunder do finish first out West again, it will be hard for the NBA not to reward them with a Christmas game in 2025. Now the question becomes, who should the Thunder play on Christmas?
This year, there was a perfect opportunity for the Thunder to play the Knicks. It could have been the return of Isaiah Hartenstein back in Madison Square Garden for the first time after signing with OKC in free agency. Ultimately for the Thunder, there are still five teams that would be perfect for them to play if given a Christmas Day game in 2025. Today, we will rank those five potential Christmas matchups for the Thunder.
Potential Teams The Thunder Could Play on Christmas in 2025
5. Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets and the Thunder both built their teams the same way. They built them through the draft while signing veteran players to help out. The Rockets got Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, while the Thunder signed Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso. They have both been successful in their recent rebuilds as they are the top two seeds in the West. Christmas Day 2025 would be a perfect opportunity for the NBA to showcase two teams that built their team the same way. In addition, these two teams have a lot of history together with the James Harden trade and the Russell Westbrook for Chris Paul swap. The NBA could play on the history of these two teams as well as what the future could look like with these two teams battling it out in the West for the next five or so years.
4. Boston Celtics
The only Eastern Conference team on the list is the Boston Celtics. If they face the Boston Celtics on Christmas in 2025, it would be because of two reasons. The first reason is showcasing arguably the two best teams in the NBA (although things can change in a year). There is a good chance both of these teams can finish first once again in their respective conferences. The second reason would be if these teams were to meet up in the NBA Finals. The NBA has showcased NBA Finals rematches before such as the Thunder and Heat back in 2012, or the Cavaliers and Warriors in 2016. If the Thunder and Celtics meet in the Finals, there is a good chance they could play next year on Christmas.
3. Denver Nuggets
The Thunder opened the 2024-25 season against the Denver Nuggets, so the NBA sees some value in these two teams playing each other. In addition, when these two teams play, they are usually hard-fought games. This year, it would have been a great team for the Thunder to face, as it would have been the MVP winner in Nikola Jokić against the MVP runner-up in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. However, there is a good chance they both can finish first and second in the MVP voting once again, and then it would be back-to-back years. If that happens, the NBA should take advantage of the opportunity to showcase them on Christmas as two of the top five players in the world.
2. Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks were the team to knock the Thunder out in the 2024 playoffs. Furthermore, there is a lot of history between these two teams in the West, and Oklahoma is pretty close to Dallas. These two teams have two of the best talents in the league as well as two of the best players in the world. The NBA missed a great opportunity to put these two teams on Christmas Day to build off the potential rivalry that was building between these two teams in the playoffs. In addition, they could have showcased two of the best young players in the league in Shai and Luka Dončić. The only reason this team isn’t number one on who the Thunder should play on Christmas next year is that there is a better rivalry that is brewing.
1. San Antonio Spurs
Finally, that brings us to the number one spot and the team the Thunder should face next year on Christmas. That is the Spurs. This is the Victor Wembanyama vs Chet Holmgren rivalry game as their careers will forever be tied together. The NBA likes their rivalry as all three of their meetings this year are nationally televised games. Outside of the playoffs, the best day the NBA can showcase this rivalry is on Christmas Day. In addition, to the rivalry that is growing between Wemby and Chet, there are also a lot of historic playoff battles between these two teams. Victor and Chet have the potential to be the next best rivalry in the NBA and it would be a big missed opportunity to not have these two teams meet on Christmas in 2025.
The Last Word on the Thunder Christmas in 2025
The Thunder could once again finish as the top seed in the West, and they should be good for the foreseeable future. This team already has a superstar in Shai and two rising stars with Chet and Jalen Williams. There are a lot of great matchups that the Thunder could have on Christmas as stated above. It is time for the NBA to showcase the Thunder as one of the best young teams in the NBA and give them a Christmas Day game in 2025.
