Christmas Day games have been a tradition in the NBA since the league’s second season in 1947 and other than the New York Knicks no team has played more games on Dec. 25 than the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers are 21-21 on Christmas Day, most recently defeating the Los Angeles Clippers last season to snap a three-game Christmas Day losing streak.
In 2017 the Lakers are set to play on Christmas for the 19th consecutive season, as according to Bill Oram of the OC Register they will be hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves:
Lakers/Timberwolves on Christmas Day.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) August 10, 2017
This will be a tough test for this young Lakers team, as they will be going up against arguably the best young core in the NBA led by Karl-Anthony Towns and the recently acquired Jimmy Butler. Rookie point guard Lonzo Ball will have a chance to showcase his skills on a national level matched up against a solid veteran in Jeff Teague.
Before defeating the Clippers in 2016, the Lakers suffered losses to the Clippers in 2015, the Chicago Bulls in 2014 and the Miami Heat in 2013 after defeating the New York Knicks in 2012.
The two teams had some excellent matchups last season including a huge comeback by the Lakers on the night they retired Shaquille O’Neal’s jersey and a buzzer-beating three-pointer by D’Angelo Russell in what turned out to be his final game in a Lakers uniform.