Full NBA Christmas Day schedule leak suggests midday Wolves game

We can't quite pencil in a 1:30 p.m. CT tipoff, but it seems somewhat likely based on logic.

Dec 19, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; In the final home game before Christmas, Minnesota Timberwolves mascot Crunch dresses as Santa and his aides as elves as they deliver t-shirts to fans at the game with the Dallas Mavericks at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports / Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

It now appears to be very much a reality that the Minnesota Timberwolves will play the Dallas Mavericks in a playoff rematch on Christmas Day.

According to Shams Charania, Minnesota will visit the Mavericks in Dallas on Christmas Day. Based on the order of which Charania unveiled the five Christmas 2024 games, the Wolves and Mavericks would tip off in the early afternoon game. That's speculation on our part, but it's certainly a realistic possibility.

Why are we thinking it'll be an early afternoon tipoff? Because Charania listed the five games in an order that would suggest the West Coast teams play the late games while East Coast teams and Central Time Zone teams play earlier.

NBA Christmas Day games for the 2024-25 season, per sources:

🎄Spurs at Knicks
🎄Timberwolves at Mavericks
🎄76ers at Celtics
🎄Lakers at Warriors
🎄Nuggets at Suns

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 9, 2024

Last season, the NBA tipped off Christmas games at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Based on that logic, we can speculation that the 2024 Christmas schedule will look like this:

• 11 a.m. — Spurs at Knicks

• 1:30 p.m. — Timberwolves at Mavericks

• 4 p.m. — 76ers at Celtics

• 7 p.m. — Lakers at Warriors

• 9:30 p.m. — Nuggets at Suns

It makes even more sense since the Knicks got the 11 a.m. start time last Christmas while the Celtics were featured in the 4 p.m. time slot.

There hasn't been much of a break for some Timberwolves players this summer. The Olympics, which wrap up Saturday with the gold-medal game between Team USA and France, will feature Anthony Edwards versus Rudy Gobert. Before they know it, they'll be hitting the hardwood for training camp in September and playing the Lakers in the Palm Springs, Cali. for the first preseason game on Oct. 4.