The Warriors are in a familiar spot this Christmas: not sitting by the fire or caroling, but rather playing in primetime.
Wednesday marks the Warriors’ 12th straight Christmas Day game. They’re hosting the Los Angeles Lakers (5 p.m., ABC).
It’s the signature matchup of the day, a clash between the generation’s two defining superstars: LeBron James and Steph Curry.
Here are a few things to know about the game.
The matchup
The Warriors (15-13) and Lakers (16-13) are firmly entrenched in a large swath of middling Western Conference teams.
Three games separate the 11th-place Suns to the fifth-place Nuggets. The Lakers and Warriors — seventh and eighth — are right in the thick of that group.
After falling 111-105 to the Pacers, the Warriors have lost 10 of their last 13 games. The Lakers are also coming off a defeat, to the Pistons, but have played better ball lately. They won three straight — two against the Kings and another victory over the Grizzlies — last week.
“Obviously, it’s a big game,” Curry said. “Another game with two teams who want to be in better positions going into Christmas. Still trying to figure it out. We’re at home, we haven’t really protected home court as of late. Christmas spirit, hopefully can bring some gifts our way with a win. I’m excited for the opportunity, knowing it’s a chance to bounce back.”
The Warriors are 15-18 on Christmas, and the Lakers are 24-26. Golden State is a 3.5-point favorite in Vegas, with the over/under line set at 224.5.
This is the first of four matchups between the Lakers and Warriors this season.
Steph: Naughty or nice?
Steph Curry, who has had two duds in the past week, has largely struggled on Christmas Day. In his career, he’s averaging 15.6 points, 6.4 assists and 4.6 rebounds. He has only made 18 3-pointers in 10 games.
Of course, he’s capable of doing much more damage than that. In a 2021 victory over Phoenix on Christmas, he dropped 33 points in 37 minutes and the Warriors won his minutes by 24 points.
“The more you gotta go through it, the more comfortable you get with the balance of family and playing a game,” Curry said of playing on Christmas.
The headliner
Curry and James, who were teammates on Team USA in the Paris Olympics this summer, have faced off 52 times in their careers including the postseason.
Curry’s Warriors are 29-23 against James’ teams all-time.
The last time they played each other on Christmas was 2018, when James was in his first year with the Lakers. Los Angeles defeated the Warriors, 127-101, at Oracle Arena. Andre Iguodala scored a game-high 23 points off the bench and James started alongside Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Ivica Zubac.
That was the fourth straight year James has played Curry on Christmas, with the three prior matchups being with Cleveland. In 2016, the defending champion Cavs came back from a 14-point deficit for a win to spoil Kevin Durant’s 36-point output.
James, who turns 40 this month, is the career leader in Christmas Day points (476) and games played (18). He’s also tied with Dwyane Wade for the all-time lead in Christmas wins with 10.
Triple-double watch
Only nine players have ever recorded a triple-double on Christmas Day, and the Lakers-Warriors game features two of them.
Both James and Draymond Green have recorded one triple-double on Christmas. Green notched his in 2017, with a 12-12-11 line in a win over Cleveland.
Oscar Robertson is the all-time leader in Christmas triple-doubles, with four.