Miami Heat will play Christmas Day for first time since 2023

The Miami Heat are back on the NBA's Christmas Day schedule for the first time since 2023, visiting the Boston Celtics. The arrival of Giannis Antetokounmpo has the franchise back among the league's marquee teams worth showcasing, so they were included on the five-game slate announced Tuesday morning.

The NBA also revealed the Heat will debut at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 21. The full schedule will be released later in the week.

ESPN will begin its 2026-27 NBA regular-season game coverage with opening-week doubleheaders on Wednesday, Oct. 21 and Thursday, Oct. 22.

• Oct. 21: Team debuts for Miami’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Minnesota’s LaMelo Ball

• Oct. 22: Home debuts for Philadelphia’s LeBron… pic.twitter.com/5nfXLvz1BA
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) August 11, 2026

Miami missed out on adding LeBron James, but Antetokounmpo's arrival allowed them to make the cut for the league's annual holiday showcase, where they will play the second game on Christmas Day (2:30 p.m. ET) following the Spurs at Knicks NBA Finals rematch. 76ers-Lakers, featuring LeBron's L.A. return, Thunder-Timberwolves and Nuggets-Warriors round out the card.

Playing at Boston's TD Garden's will almost certainly mean the Heat won't be enjoying a tropical holiday since temperatures will likely be below freezing and possibly feature snow. You won't hear many around the team complain since they've been out of the mix on Dec. 25 since defeating the Philadelphia 76ers at Kaseya Center in 2023 behind 31 points from then-rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr.

The NBA will feature five games on Christmas Day (Friday, Dec. 25) for the 19th consecutive year, with ABC and ESPN both televising each matchup.

Highlights include the first meeting between the Knicks and Spurs since the 2026 NBA Finals, as well as new 76er LeBron James’ return… pic.twitter.com/CgWdaaFJXN
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) August 11, 2026

The Heat are a fantastic 12-2 in Christmas Day games, playing their first back in 1997 against Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls. Miami lost 90-80, but has since won 12 of 13, falling only in 2007 against James' Cleveland Cavaliers (96-82). The Heat were perfect while James was with the franchise from 2010-14, which included a win over the Lakers in his final Christmas Day appearance with the franchise.

Miami hosted the Cavs in '14 after James returned to Cleveland, prevailing 101-91 behind 31 points from Dwyane Wade to improve to just 14-16. The Heat defeated the Pelicans twice in '15 and '20 prior to their last appearance. This visit to Boston will be their first Christmas Day road game since '13. They're 5-2 away from home on the holiday.

Antetokounmpo will also be showcased on the Christmas schedule for the first time since '23. He made six straight appearances with the Bucks, going 3-3 from '18-'23. Two of those games came against the Celtics, the most recent of which came in Boston in a 2022 loss (139-118). The Bucks had defeated Boston the previous year in Milwaukee.

The Bucks hadn't been on the Christmas schedule since 1977 prior to being included 41 years later.

Boston has won 10 of its last 11 games vs. Miami dating back to the start of the '23-'24 season, losing only at TD Garden on April 2, 2025.

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