A very multisport Christmas? Let’s preview three NFL, five NBA games

Christmas Day includes three NFL matchups and five NBA games. We’re previewing them all with picks, predictions, storylines and more.

Knicks complete largest comeback of season, beat Cavaliers on Christmas Day, 126-124

The Knicks trailed by 17 points with about 10 minutes left in the game and found a way to complete their biggest comeback of the season, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers on Christmas Day, 126-124.

Here are the takeaways…

— Karl-Anthony Towns picked up two fouls within the first three minutes of the game, forcing head coach Mike Brown to call timeout with the team down 5-0. Mitchell Robinson came in for Towns and then OG Anunoby, back after missing Tuesday’s loss, got New York on the board with an and-one layup. In the blink of an eye, the Cavs built an 18-3 lead as Donovan Mitchell made four of his first five shots while the Knicks as a whole missed 14 of their first 16 shots.

Jalen Brunson nailed a wing three and completed the four-point play to wake the team up. Jordan Clarkson and Mohamed Diawara helped out, both hitting three-pointers to cut the Cleveland lead down to six points. Brunson stayed in a groove and scored with under 30 seconds left on a scoop layup, but De’Andre Hunter hit a three of his own with the clock winding down to give the Cavs a 38-23 lead at the end of the first quarter.

— Cleveland shot a ridiculous 68 percent from the field and 55 percent from three (6-for-11) in the first quarter, while New York struggled at just 38 percent from the field and 25 percent from deep (3-for-12). 

— Clarkson opened the second quarter with two quick three-pointers, getting the Garden crowd on their feet and forcing a Cavs timeout. The Knicks rode the momentum and went on a 15-3 run to cut the Cleveland lead down to three points, 41-38. Mikal Bridges hit back-to-back jumpers to give New York their first lead of the game and Towns kept it going, extending their 18-0 run to make it a 47-41 game midway through the second quarter.

— Evan Mobley, playing in his first game since Dec. 12, began to find his footing and scored eight straight points for the Cavs to keep it a close game. Brunson connected on another four-point play and then Josh Hart‘s three-pointer with 32.8 seconds left put the Knicks up 60-58 heading into halftime. New York outscored Cleveland, 37-20, in the second quarter thanks to making seven three-pointers

Brunson and Clarkson each scored 14 points in the first half.

— The Cavs came out of the locker room hot, going on a 10-3 run capped off by Darius Garland delivering a gift-wrapped pass to Mitchell from halfcourt for the alley-oop jam. Hart tied the game at 71-71 with a three-pointer, but the Cavs went on another run as Jaylon Tyson scored six straight points to make it an 86-73 game with 3:30 remaining in the third quarter. Tyson kept it going with a three-pointer and a dunk to give him 11 points in the quarter.

Cleveland nearly duplicated their first quarter, outscoring New York 38-24 and building a 96-84 lead going into the fourth.

— The game looked to be getting out of hand for the Knicks, down 103-86, but the team somehow flipped it around after Hart left with an ankle injury (down 107-95). Clarkson, Tyler Kolek, and Brunson all caught fire as the captain tied it up at 113-113 with a three-pointer. Brunson made another clutch three to put New York up two points and then Towns charged in to score on a tip-in to make it a 123-119 game. Mitchell rocked the rim with a huge dunk, but Anunoby came right back with his own to push the lead to back to four points. Mitchell hit a crazy three-pointer to keep Cleveland alive before Towns iced the game with a free throw.

— New York outscored Cleveland 42-28 in the fourth quarter. Brunson finished with a team-high 34 points and made six threes, while Clarkson dropped 25 points off the bench with five three-pointers. Robinson had another monster performance on the glass, grabbing 13 rebounds off the bench, including eight offensive boards. Mitchell led the Cavs with 34 points of his own and Garland chipped in 20 points and 10 assists.

Game MVP: Tyler Kolek

Kolek was a burst of energy in the fourth quarter after Hart rolled his ankle. The guard scored 11 points with three three-pointers in the fourth quarter and finished the game with 16 points, nine assists, three rebounds, and a block. He was a plus-24 off the bench.

Highlights

The Knicks take the lead! pic.twitter.com/Ud34YpSxJM

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 25, 2025

Tyler, the Kreator 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/maQu1U1iFB

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 25, 2025

MOTION.

TYLER KOLEK. pic.twitter.com/mRyyYLaWkL

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 25, 2025

What’s next

The Knicks will travel to Atlanta to face the Hawks on Saturday, Dec. 27 at 8:00 p.m.

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James Nnaji, whose draft rights are owned by Knicks, joins Baylor with immediate college basketball eligibility: reports

James Nnaji, whose NBA Draft rights are owned by the Knicks, enrolled at Baylor University with immediate eligibility to play college basketball this season, according to multiple reports Wednesday. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress first reported the news, citing Nnaji’s agents at Gersh Sports.

The 21-year-old center was on the Knicks’ 2025 Summer League team and played in all five of New York’s games. He averaged 3.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 12.9 minutes.

Nnaji, whom the Knicks’ Summer League roster listed at 6-foot-11 and 250 pounds, spent the past five years and change playing overseas.

The Detroit Pistons selected Nnaji with the 2023 NBA Draft’s No. 31 overall pick — the first selection in the second round — and traded his rights to the Charlotte Hornets.

The Knicks acquired his rights in October 2024 when they made their three-team trade with the Hornets and Minnesota Timberwolves, which brought Karl-Anthony Towns to New York.

The Makurdi, Nigeria, native’s playing career continues on a Baylor team that is 9-2 overall entering Monday’s game against Arlington Baptist. The Bears open Big 12 Conference play next Saturday, Jan. 3, at TCU.

Fantasy Basketball Christmas Day Slate Breakdown

By Alex Barutha, RotoWire
Special to Yahoo Sports

Christmas Day delivers an NBA feast, with five marquee matchups featuring playoff implications, star power and plenty of fantasy basketball intrigue. From a bruising Eastern Conference showdown at Madison Square Garden to a heavyweight clash between San Antonio and Oklahoma City, this slate offers no shortage of storylines.

[It’s not too late to create or join a High Score league, a new way to play Fantasy Basketball on Yahoo with simple rosters and scoring]

Injuries loom large across several games, creating potential value swings and unexpected rotation changes. Superstars like Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards and Donovan Mitchell headline the action, while emerging contributors could swing outcomes. Here’s a game-by-game breakdown of what to watch as the NBA takes center stage on Christmas.

Cleveland Cavaliers (17-14) at New York Knicks (20-9)

New York leads this season series 1-0. It’s 7-3 over its past 10 games and it is 14-2 at home. Cleveland is 5-5 over its past 10 and is 6-6 on the road.

Like many of the games on this Christmas Day slate, there’s a notable injury report. Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby are both questionable, while Evan Mobley remains sidelined. Potential absences to Brunson and Anunoby could lead to more minutes for Tyler Kolek and Jordan Clarkson, plus Mitchell Robinson and wing players like Ariel Hukporti.

For the Cavs, Dean Wade has been starting in place of Evan Mobley, and Sam Merrill is coming off a great performance and will help with the team’s offensive punch. Jaylon Tyson and Jarrett Allen should also continue seeing expanded roles. Donovan Mitchell has been Cleveland’s best performer, averaging 31.9 points, 5.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals this month.

Brunson has been New York’s best player, but know for sure that Karl-Anthony Towns will be available. In December, he’s producing 23.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals.

San Antonio Spurs (22-7) at Oklahoma City Thunder (26-4)

The Spurs lead this season series 2-0. They’re 9-1 over their past 10, winning seven straight and are 10-5 on the road. OKC is 7-3 over its past 10 and is undefeated at home.

This game has a much cleaner injury report than Cavs/Knicks, though Chet Holmgren and Ajay Mitchell are notably questionable. Their potential absences could create more opportunities for Isaiah Hartenstein, Jaylin Williams, Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso and others. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to produce at an MVP level, averaging 32.4 points, 6.5 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks in December.

For the Spurs, Victor Wembanyama has come off the bench for five straight games and produced 17.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.0 blocks in 20.6 minutes. It’s unclear if he’ll rejoin the starting five and see a minutes increase for Christmas Day.

Dallas Mavericks (12-19) at Golden State Warriors (15-15)

This is the first time these teams have faced off this season. The Mavericks are 3-9 on the road but are 6-4 overall across the past 10 games. Golden State is 9-4 at home and 5-5 across the past 10 games.

Dallas has a handful of role players questionable for this game, and one starter in PJ Washington. Cooper Flagg is coming off an excellent performance, with 33 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal and 1 block against the Nuggets. Anthony Davis has rounded back into form as well, averaging 26.3 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks across his past six games.

For the Warriors, Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler continue to be the team’s go-to options offensively. Curry is averaging 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.4 steals over his past five. During that same stretch, Butler is averaging 21.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steals.

Houston Rockets (17-10) at Los Angeles Lakers (19-9)

This is the first matchup of the season for these squads. Houston is 9-8 on the road and 4-6 across the past 10. The Lakers are 7-4 at home and 5-5 over the past 10.

Luka Dončić and Rui Hachimura are questionable for this one, as is Jaxson Hayes. That means we could see expanded roles from Austin Reaves and LeBron James as the Lakers’ primary creators, while Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart could see extra run. Reaves played 22 minutes in his return from a calf strain on Tuesday but should be at full strength for Christmas. In his prior 10 games, he averaged 27.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists.

Over LeBron’s past six games, he’s putting up 26.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.0 steals. The Rockets are being led by Alperen Şengün, who is having a career year with 23.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks.

Minnesota Timberwolves (20-10) at Denver Nuggets (21-8)

Denver leads this season series 2-0. It’s 9-5 at home and 7-3 across the team’s past 10 games. Minnesota is 8-5 on the road and is 8-2 over the past 10 with a three-game win streak.

For Minnesota, Jaden McDaniels is questionable. His potential absence could lead to more minutes for Jaylen Clark and Terrence Shannon. Anthony Edwards continues to lead the way with averages of 28.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals.

Denver could be even more shorthanded than usual as Cam Johnson suffered a knee sprain Tuesday against the Mavericks. Assuming he is sidelined, more minutes should be in store for Tim Hardaway Jr. and Spencer Jones. Nikola Jokić is putting up MVP numbers with 28.7 points, 11.1 rebounds, 10.8 assists and 1.4 steals in December.

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Hawks reserve C Dante (ACL) out rest of season

Hawks reserve center N’Faly Dante will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn right ACL in a G League game on Dec. 19.