Insider Reveals NBA's Christmas Day Slate

The Toronto Raptors will once again not be among the teams slated to play on Christmas Day

Apr 9, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; The Los Angeles Lakers logo at midcourt Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Raptors will once again be off for Christmas.

It's news that'll come as no surprise to the organization, having played on Christmas just twice in the team's 29-year history. The league will reportedly announce a five-game slate of games for Dec. 25 featuring 10 of the league's most exciting and star-studded teams.

According to Shams Charania, San Antonio will head to New York to take on the Knicks. The Dallas Mavericks will play host to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics will welcome the Philadelphia 76ers to town. LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers will face off against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. Finally the Phoenix Suns will host Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

Toronto last played a Christmas Day game against the Boston Celtics in 2019 following the organization's championship season. The Raptors lost the game 118-102 to a Celtics team featuring Kemba Walker and Gordon Hayward.

Before that, Toronto's only other Christmas Day game came in 2001 when Vince Carter's popularity forced the league to give the Raptors a prime-time game. Toronto fell 102-94 to the New York Knicks in what was a disappointing 15-point showing from Carter.

Toronto is not expected to be a playoff team next season and the fact that Canada's television ratings do not factor into American television ratings has always hampered the organization's ability to get coveted timeslots for nationally-televised games in the United States.

The league's full schedule is expected to be announced at some point later this month.