Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers face Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets in this NBA Christmas Day matchup.

The NBA’s strong viewership numbers in 2025-26 are continuing as the year comes to an end. More than 87 million people in the U.S. have watched NBA games this season across NBC/Peacock, ESPN, Amazon Prime Video and NBA TV, the most viewers in 15 years and up 89% vs. last year, the league announced Monday.

Richard Jefferson told SBJ that while “The Richard Show” clips have been edited down to around 10 minutes, subjects typically sit for 30 or 35 minutes, so there is the ability to add length for a longer TV-type program.

The NBA’s shift from a pair of cable-focused media rights agreements to a trio of new deals centered on broadcast and streaming have had encouraging early returns. Under the NBA’s new set of agreements with ESPN,

For the third straight time, San Antonio has toppled the reigning NBA champions, handing OKC three of its five losses in the 2025-26 season.

There’s plenty of value to be found with tonight’s nine-game NBA slate. Therefore, I added two same-game parlays (SGPs) for a couple of the matchups. Read the analysis and tail along if you’d like. More NBA Betting Advice Player Prop Bet Cheat Sheet First Basket Cheat Sheet NBA Consensus Odds Thursday’s Best NBA Same Game Parlays