LOS ANGELES — The NBA’s Christmas quintuple-header had a little bit of everything: A frantic New York Knicks comeback, a resounding road win for the San Antonio Spurs against the defending champions, a valiant holiday debut for Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg, a disastrous night in Hollywood for the Los Angeles Lakers, and a 56-point triple-double from Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic in an overtime thriller.
Let’s break down the biggest winners and losers from a jam-packed day of thrilling basketball.
#### 1\. The Spurs (winners)
There’s a new sheriff in town.
When the Oklahoma City Thunder arrived in Las Vegas for the NBA Cup semifinals two weeks ago, they had lost just one game all season. By the time the Spurs had put the finishing touches on a 117-102 road victory at Paycom Center on Thursday, the Thunder had suffered three consecutive losses to Victor Wembanyama and company in just 12 days.
Oklahoma City won last year’s NBA championship and San Antonio landed in the draft lottery, but the Spurs’ surprising head-to-head success this season hasn’t been a fluke. Wembanyama’s exceptional interior presence on defense has shifted more pressure onto Oklahoma City’s outside shooters, and they haven’t answered the bell. To make matters worse, reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has gotten little help from co-stars Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.
The Spurs have also been one of the rare teams to function effectively against the Thunder’s stifling defense: Wembanyama has looked poised against a rotating cast of defenders, and San Antonio’s relentless backcourt corps has protected the ball and consistently found driving lanes.
“You don’t lose to a team three times in a row in a short span without them being better than you,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We have to get better. We have to look in the mirror.”
San Antonio is sailing toward the new year with an eight-game winning streak and the NBA’s third-best record, even though Wembanyama is still coming off the bench with a minute’s limit as he returns from a calf injury. The Spurs entered the season hoping to make the playoffs for the first time since 2019, but their latest statement win should vault them into the title picture.
#### 2\. Luka Doncic and LeBron James (losers)
Christmas couldn’t have gone any worse for the Lakers, who lost guard Austin Reaves to a calf injury during a 119-96 blowout loss to the visiting Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena. Kevin Durant prevailed in his showdown with James, Amen Thompson outplayed Doncic, and the Lakers were badly outworked and outrebounded by a motivated Rockets team that had lost four of its previous five games.
“Tonight we were a terrible basketball team,” Lakers Coach JJ Redick said, pulling no punches. “We don’t care enough right now. That’s the part that bothers me a lot. We don’t care enough to do the things that are necessary. We don’t care enough to be professionals. … Saturday’s practice is going to be uncomfortable. I’m not doing another 53 games like this.”
The Lakers’ litany of issues includes porous perimeter defense and slow starts. But their most fundamental problem is that they have been outscored this season when their two stars – Doncic and James – are on the court together. That trend continued on Christmas: Houston went up 22-10 to start the game, then opened the third quarter with a 22-11 push against the Lakers’ headliners.
Doncic and James each bear some blame for their faltering marriage: The former has cooled off a bit since a blistering start to the season, and the latter has been overly deferential when asked to play off the ball. Against the Rockets, they combined to commit nine turnovers and rarely displayed the passing interplay necessary to help the Lakers’ offense reach top gear.
Los Angeles, 4-6 in its past 10 games, must add a perimeter stopper if it wants to make noise in the playoffs. In light of the holiday debacle, though, Redick faces a more urgent matter: getting the Doncic/James partnership back on track.
#### 3\. The Warriors’ dynasty (winner)
In the days before a ho-hum 126-116 home win over the Mavericks on Christmas, Warriors Coach Steve Kerr candidly referred to his team as a “fading dynasty.” Stephen Curry led seven Warriors in double figures to prove there’s still some light left, and the team effort was enough to hold off an impressive showing from Flagg, who posted a game-high 27 points.
While the current Warriors (16-15) got their heads back above water with the win, the dynasty Warriors received another jolt of good news courtesy of the Spurs. Golden State’s record 73-win season in 2015-16 – one of the franchise’s crown jewels – looks untouchable again.
The Thunder matched the 2015-16 Warriors for the best start in league history by going 24-1 through 25 games. Since then, Oklahoma City has gone 2-3, suffered its first home defeat of the season and endured back-to-back losses for the first time since April.
Thanks largely to Wembanyama’s Spurs, the Thunder is now 26-5 and on pace for “only” 69 wins. Eclipsing the Warriors’ win record would require Oklahoma City to go 48-3 the rest of the way. Never say never, but that’s an awfully tall order.
#### 4\. Anthony Davis (loser)
Mavericks forward Anthony Davis came up limping early in the second quarter against the Warriors. The 10-time all-star’s night ended right then and there with what the Mavericks called “right groin spasms,” and he finished with just three points and three rebounds in 11 minutes.
With the Mavericks sitting in 11th place in the Western Conference, there’s a real debate as to whether they should aim to climb into the play-in tournament to give the 19-year-old Flagg a taste of meaningful basketball or aim to improve their draft positioning by moving Davis and his $54.1 million salary before the trade deadline.
Of course, another extended injury absence for Davis would make it harder for the Mavericks to climb in the standings and harder for them to trade their highest-paid player. If Davis remains in Dallas through the deadline and continues to be in and out of the lineup with health concerns, the Mavericks could easily find themselves in the dreaded no-man’s land between the play-in tournament and the top of the draft lottery order.
#### 5\. The Knicks’ bench (winner)
The Knicks pulled off a come-from-behind 126-124 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers thanks to an 18-0 run in the second quarter and a 42-point effort in the fourth quarter. During both pivotal stretches, New York reserves Tyler Kolek, Jordan Clarkson and Mitchell Robinson came through with winning plays, just as they did during the Knicks’ NBA Cup championship game win over the Spurs this month.
Kolek’s energy and quick thinking have earned him real trust from Knicks Coach Mike Brown, and Clarkson’s natural scoring ability and Robinson’s elite offensive rebounding helped overcome 34 points from Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell. The Knicks still trail the first-place Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference standings, but they continue to look like the East’s most complete team.
#### 6\. The Cavaliers’ ‘Core Four’ (loser)
The Cavaliers seemingly did enough to score a signature win against the Knicks, but they wound up squandering a great game from Mitchell, a very good showing from Darius Garland and a decent appearance from Evan Mobley, who made an unexpected return from a calf injury.
However, center Jarrett Allen, the fourth member of Cleveland’s “Core Four,” managed just seven points and eight rebounds in 23 minutes. In the fourth quarter, Allen was largely invisible as Robinson hauled in several crucial rebounds for New York. What’s more, the Cavaliers’ defense couldn’t get a stop when it mattered.
Cleveland heads toward the trade deadline with the NBA’s most expensive roster and a mediocre 17-15 record. Breaking up the “Core Four” would be tough for morale after the Cavaliers won 64 games last season, but Allen isn’t living up to his lucrative long-term contract and has a track record of fading in the playoffs. If the Cavaliers decide to trim payroll, he’s a logical candidate.
#### 7\. Caitlin Clark (winner)
Clark, the women’s basketball sensation, has been out of the limelight for months because of an injury-plagued second season and the WNBA’s ongoing labor impasse. Even so, the Indiana Fever guard made a Christmas splash thanks to Nike. In a nationally televised ad for the sneaker giant, the Indiana Fever guard launched jumpers in between cameos from NFL star Travis Kelce, comedian Michael Che and former Iowa women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder.
The 23-year-old Clark will not participate in “Unrivaled,” a women’s three-on-three league that will soon launch its second season, and she has not signed on to play in “Project B,” a league that plans to launch as a WNBA rival in 2026. For now, Clark’s legions of fans will need to make do with the Nike spot until the WNBA gets back to business.
#### 8\. The Timberwolves’ point guard options (losers)
Jokic stated a strong case as the 2026 NBA MVP favorite by posting 56 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists in the Nuggets’ 142-138 overtime victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. There wasn’t anything Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert or anyone else could do to stop him.
Nevertheless, the Timberwolves forced overtime and built a nine-point lead in the extra period thanks to 44 points from Anthony Edwards. As Jokic and the Nuggets somehow found a way to outlast the Timberwolves in the holiday’s nightcap, Edwards could have used more help from his fellow backcourt members.
Donte DiVincenzo, who started next to Edwards, had six points on 11 shots. Mike Conley, last year’s starter, went scoreless in 10 minutes off the bench. Bones Hyland did a little better with 11 points in 23 minutes, but he has spent most of his career as a third-stringer and has a very limited playoff résumé. Rob Dillingham, a 2024 lottery pick, barely gets any time for Timberwolves Coach Chris Finch.
Minnesota really misses Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who departed for the Atlanta Hawks in summer free agency after a strong 2025 postseason. Edwards and forward Julius Randle form a reliable one-two punch, but the Timberwolves must target a point guard upgrade at the trade deadline if they want to reach the Western Conference finals for the third straight year. Otherwise, an overtaxed Edwards will head into the playoffs with one hand tied behind his back.