The NBA Christmas slate had some amazing games and some colossal duds. Additionally, we saw the Nets beat the 76ers, the Clippers blow out the Rockets, and the Magic eke past the Nuggets. Phew, what a week!
Now that we’re in the post-Christmas part of the schedule, more casual fans will be paying attention. And I’ve got you covered.
Whether you’re an NBA devotee or starting to transition away from football season, here’s what you should be checking out during the 11th week of the 2025–2026 NBA season. I’ve picked two must-watch games and compiled the entire Week 11 TV schedule below.
National NBA game of the week
The Lakers are going through a weird time.
They recently lost three straight, coach JJ Redick said the team doesn’t care enough, and Austin Reeves is out with a calf injury for at least a month. Yes, they beat the Kings, but that doesn’t matter because Sacramento is bad.
The Pistons have lost two in a row. They’re still leading the Eastern Conference, but those two losses were really bad—to the Clippers and Jazz.
Both teams need a quality win really badly right now, which makes this a crucial matchup.
Honorable mention:
- Oklahoma City Thunder at Golden State Warriors (Friday, Jan. 2, 10:00 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video)
NBA League Pass game of the week
Boston Celtics at Utah Jazz | NBA League Pass
The Jazz are doing something right now I would’ve never expected—beating good teams.
They defeated the Pistons and Spurs—the Spurs—on a back-to-back. That’s really tough for any team, let alone one that is probably going to be in the lottery again this summer.
But I can’t deny that whatever Utah is doing right now, it’s working. And working very well.
Can it work against the Celtics? Boston has been a surprise this season without Jayson Tatum. Yeah, they dropped a game to the Trail Blazers, but won four straight before that.
The way the Jazz are playing, plus with the venue being in Salt Lake City, this could be anybody’s game.
Honorable mention:
- New York Knicks at San Antonio Spurs (Wednesday, Dec. 31, 7:00 p.m. ET)
Full NBA schedule for Dec 29—Jan 4
I stand by my recommendations for the best NBA games this week. But if you’re feeling something different, check out the table below. I’ve mapped out the entire Week 11 TV schedule so you don’t have to hunt for it.
| Matchup | Time (ET) | Channels |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, Dec. 29 | ||
| Milwaukee Bucks at Charlotte Hornets | 7:00 p.m. | FDSWI, FDSSE |
| Phoenix Suns at Washington Wizards | 7:00 p.m. | Arizona's Family 3TV, MNMT |
| Golden State Warriors at Brooklyn Nets | 7:30 p.m. | NBC Sports Bay Area, YES Network |
| Denver Nuggets at Miami Heat | 7:30 p.m. | Altitude Sports, FDSSUN |
| Orlando Magic at Toronto Raptors | 7:30 p.m. | FDSFL, Sportsnet |
| Minnesota Timberwolves at Chicago Bulls | 8:00 p.m. | FDSN, CHSN |
| Indiana Pacers at Houston Rockets | 8:00 p.m. | FDSIN, SCHN |
| New York Knicks at New Orleans Pelicans | 8:00 p.m. | MSG, GCSEN |
| Atlanta Hawks at Oklahoma City Thunder | 8:00 p.m. | FDSSE, FDSOK |
| Cleveland Cavaliers at San Antonio Spurs | 8:00 p.m. | NBC, Peacock |
| Dallas Mavericks at Portland Trail Blazers | 10:30 p.m. | NBC, Peacock |
| Tuesday, Dec. 30 | ||
| Philadelphia 76ers at Memphis Grizzlies | 8:00 p.m. | NBC, Peacock |
| Boston Celtics at Utah Jazz | 9:00 p.m. | NBC Sports Boston, KJZZ |
| Detroit Pistons at Los Angeles Lakers | 10:30 p.m. | NBC, Peacock |
| Sacramento Kings at LA Clippers | 11:00 p.m. | NBC Sports California, FDSSC |
| Wednesday, Dec. 31 | ||
| Golden State Warriors at Charlotte Hornets | 1:00 p.m. | NBC Sports Bay Area, FDSSE, NBA TV |
| Minnesota Timberwolves at Atlanta Hawks | 3:00 p.m. | FDSN, FDSSE |
| Orlando Magic at Indiana Pacers | 3:00 p.m. | FDSFL, FDSIN |
| Phoenix Suns at Cleveland Cavaliers | 3:30 p.m. | Arizona's Family 3TV, FDSOH, NBA TV |
| New Orleans Pelicans at Chicago Bulls | 7:00 p.m. | GCSEN, CHSN |
| New York Knicks at San Antonio Spurs | 7:00 p.m. | MSG, FDSSW, NBA TV |
| Denver Nuggets at Toronto Raptors | 7:30 p.m. | Altitude Sports, Sportsnet |
| Washington Wizards at Milwaukee Bucks | 8:00 p.m. | MNMT, FDSWI |
| Portland Trail Blazers at Oklahoma City Thunder | 8:00 p.m. | KUNP, FDSOK |
| Thursday, Jan. 1 | ||
| Houston Rockets at Brooklyn Nets | 6:00 p.m. | SCHN, YES Network |
| Miami Heat at Detroit Pistons | 7:00 p.m. | FDSSUN, FDSDET |
| Philadelphia 76ers at Dallas Mavericks | 8:30 p.m. | NBCSP, KFAA, NBA TV |
| Boston Celtics at Sacramento Kings | 10:00 p.m. | NBC Sports Boston, NBC Sports California |
| Utah Jazz at LA Clippers | 10:30 p.m. | KJZZ, FDSSC |
| Friday, Jan. 2 | ||
| San Antonio Spurs at Indiana Pacers | 7:00 p.m. | FDSSW, FDSIN |
| Brooklyn Nets at Washington Wizards | 7:00 p.m. | YES Network, MNMT |
| Denver Nuggets at Cleveland Cavaliers | 7:30 p.m. | Amazon Prime Video |
| Atlanta Hawks at New York Knicks | 7:30 p.m. | FDSSE, MSG |
| Orlando Magic at Chicago Bulls | 8:00 p.m. | FDSFL, CHSN |
| Charlotte Hornets at Milwaukee Bucks | 8:00 p.m. | FDSSE, FDSWI |
| Portland Trail Blazers at New Orleans Pelicans | 8:00 p.m. | KUNP, GCSEN |
| Sacramento Kings at Phoenix Suns | 9:00 p.m. | NBC Sports California, Arizona's Family 3TV |
| Oklahoma City Thunder at Golden State Warriors | 10:00 p.m. | Amazon Prime Video |
| Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Lakers | 10:30 p.m. | FDSSE, Spectrum SportsNet |
| Saturday, Jan. 3 | ||
| Minnesota Timberwolves at Miami Heat | 5:00 p.m. | FDSN, FDSSUN, NBA TV |
| Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks | 7:30 p.m. | NBCSP, MSG, NBA TV |
| Atlanta Hawks at Toronto Raptors | 7:30 p.m. | FDSSE, TSN |
| Charlotte Hornets at Chicago Bulls | 8:00 p.m. | FDSSE, CHSN |
| Portland Trail Blazers at San Antonio Spurs | 8:00 p.m. | KUNP, FDSSW |
| Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks | 8:30 p.m. | SCHN, KFAA |
| Utah Jazz at Golden State Warriors | 10:00 p.m. | KJZZ, NBC Sports Bay Area |
| Boston Celtics at LA Clippers | 10:30 p.m. | NBC Sports Boston, FDSSC, NBA TV |
| Sunday, Jan. 4 | ||
| Detroit Pistons at Cleveland Cavaliers | 2:00 p.m. | FDSDET, FDSOH |
| Indiana Pacers at Orlando Magic | 3:00 p.m. | FDSIN, FDSFL |
| Denver Nuggets at Brooklyn Nets | 3:30 p.m. | Altitude Sports, YES Network |
| New Orleans Pelicans at Miami Heat | 6:00 p.m. | GCSEN, FDSSUN |
| Minnesota Timberwolves at Washington Wizards | 6:00 p.m. | FDSN, MNMT |
| Oklahoma City Thunder at Phoenix Suns | 8:00 p.m. | FDSOK, Arizona's Family 3TV |
| Milwaukee Bucks at Sacramento Kings | 9:00 p.m. | FDSWI, NBC Sports California |
| Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Lakers | 9:30 p.m. | FDSSE, Spectrum SportsNet |
Data effective as of post date.
Swishes and airballs: My hot takes from NBA Week 10
It may have been a holiday week, but I kept up with the league quite a bit. Here’s what I noticed from last week’s NBA action. Please enjoy this supercharged section.
On the court: Contenders and pretenders
Swish: The San Antonio Spurs. They beat the vaunted Oklahoma City Thunder three times in the span of two weeks. The two wins from last week were blowouts.
If there was even a shred of doubt before, that’s gone now. This team has absolutely arrived.
Airball: Draymond Green’s immaturity. The Golden State Warriors star has certainly had issues over his career, and they’re well-documented. The latest outburst happened in a win over the Orlando Magic.
Green got into an altercation with coach Steve Kerr on the bench, left the game, and didn’t return. He and Kerr have since said the issue is behind them and that Green apologized to the team.
But Green said last season these kinds of incidents don’t serve him anymore, and he wants them to stop. Apparently, that hasn’t happened, and he’s still putting his teammates and coaches in the awkward position of having to defend his behavior.
Green isn’t even really that productive or good of a player anymore. Perhaps it’d be in Golden State’s and Green’s best interests if they just move on from each other.
Swish: The Utah freakin’ Jazz. Like I’ve said before, the Jazz aren’t really trying to be good this season. But they’re certainly proving that there’s a positive future on the horizon.
Last week, the Jazz beat the Pistons and the Spurs. Detroit is the best team in the East, and the Spurs, well, I just talked about them. For Utah to beat those two teams on back-to-back nights is extremely impressive. They did lose five straight previously, but still.
Keyonte George is a stud. Just look at this game-winner he hit against the Pistons.
On the screen: Broadcasts and buffoonery
Airball: Ernie Johnson’s “gift.” In my mind, the host of Inside the NBA can do no wrong. But this time, he crossed the line.
Warning: You’re about to read the personification of the Old Man Yells at Cloud meme.
Johnson gave a shoutout to his grandkids on national TV and did the silly, nonsensical 6–7 thing that young people have made popular. I hated every second of it.
Swish: Dunk the Halls. Generally, I’m not an alternative broadcast guy. I kinda think they’re unnecessary, for the most part. I thought the same thing when I first learned about Disney’s Dunk the Halls alt-cast for NBA Christmas games.
But then I actually saw it. And, I must say, I was wrong about this one.
I had no idea that the Disney characters mirror the actual live action going on in the game. That’s crazy! And, it’s a pretty awesome use of animation, motion capture, and whatever else is going on that I’ll never understand.
Donovan Mitchell and Mickey Mouse both going coast-to-coast is so tough 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/9zXwtMMMz9
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 25, 2025
Who knows what these alt-casts are doing to get younger people interested in the game of basketball? Maybe nothing. But it’s very cool nonetheless.
Swish: Billy Kennedy’s artful replay review explanations. Since it’s the holiday season, I’ll give you guys an additional positive take.
Kennedy is the most entertaining NBA referee when he’s looking into the camera and explaining reviews. He treats each one as a dramatic reading, and it’s hilarious. It’s nothing new, but I finally felt compelled to write about it.
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) December 27, 2025
The clip above is from a game last week. The way Kennedy says “prior” and his face when he says the challenge is unsuccessful is pure gold. I’m convinced he did theater as a young man.
Never change, Billy.
NBA schedule this week FAQ
When does the NBA season end?
The 2025–2026 NBA season ends Sunday, April 12, 2026.
How many games are in an NBA season?
The NBA season officially has 82 games. But since the addition of the NBA Cup, that number is technically 83 for the two teams that advance to the championship game of that tournament. The championship game doesn’t count as a regular-season game.
When is the NBA trade deadline?
The NBA trade deadline for the 2025–2026 season is February 6, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Where can I watch Inside the NBA?
Inside the NBA will air on ABC and ESPN throughout the season. It will also include the show’s signature pregame and halftime shows.
Why you should trust us
Our CableTV.com sports writer, Alex Vejar, is a passionate NBA fan who follows the league by watching multiple games per week. He analyzed the NBA schedule and made his viewing recommendations based on matchups, star power, style of play, and unique or interesting viewing experiences.
Check out our How We Rank page to learn more about our methods for reviewing TV services.
