Lakers’ Christmas Day Matchup Revealed, And It’s a Surprise

Feb 28, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and guard Luka Doncic (77) react after a play during the fourth quarter against the LA Clippers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images | Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers will once again headline Christmas Day this upcoming season, but it will be against their Western Conference rival, the Houston Rockets.

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According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Lakers will host their Western Conference rivals this season.

🚨🎄 NBA Christmas Day 2025 on ABC and ESPN, per sources:

- Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks

- San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder

- Houston Rockets at LA Lakers

- Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors

- Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 8, 2025

The time for the game has yet to be announced, but it is likely scheduled for a primetime matchup. The Lakers will play in their 26th consecutive Christmas Day game, dating back to 1999. 

Most of the Christmas Day games the Lakers play are home games. That was not the case last season, but that will be the case this season. 

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Last season, the Lakers traveled to the Bay Area to take on their division rivals, the Golden State Warriors. It was a thriller of a game that saw the Lakers come out on top thanks to a go-ahead Austin Reaves layup that ultimately sealed the deal for LA. 

The Lakers will play in their 52nd overall Christmas Day game. That is the second-highest among all NBA teams, second only to the New York Knicks. 

LA holds 25 wins on Christmas Day to their 26 losses, and more times than not, they always put on a show. 

This matchup with the Rockets will be their first meeting between the two on Christmas Day since 2003. The Lakers hosted the Rockets that season and came up short in front of their home crowd, 99-87. 

Lakers legend Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 23 points on 9-of-26 shooting from the field, along with eight rebounds, six assists and two steals. 

The Lakers' Christmas opponent isn't the only news that came from Friday. Charania also announced that the Lakers will host the Warriors on Opening night to kick off the 2025-26 season. 

Luka Doncic, LeBron James and the Lakers will host Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and the Warriors. 

The Lakers are always at the forefront of the NBA. That is not only one of he biggest brands in the NBA but the entire sports world. The NBA loves having the Lakers on the biggest stage, and having them on for two of the biggest days in the NBA season comes as no surprise. 

For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.