Basketball fans are eager with anticipation for the NBA's loaded Christmas Day slate this season. One team suiting up will be the Boston Celtics, who are hosting Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden.
This is far from the first ti me Boston has played on Christmas. In fact, these two teams played against each other on Christmas last year as well.
Here's everything you need to know about the franchise's history on Dec. 25th.
Celtics Christmas Game History
The NBA made its Christmas Day debut in 1947, and the holiday has been a constant part of the league's regular-season schedule ever since.
Boston's first Dec. 25th appearance came in 1948 when the Celtics suffered a narrow 80-77 defeat to the Philadelphia Warriors. Boston lost on Christmas in each of the next five years as well, finally ending the streak in 1954 with a 108-99 victory over the Milwaukee Hawks.
The Celtics have appeared on Christmas regularly since then, even playing in the first Christmas Day NBA game outside of the United States when they traveled north of the border to play the Toronto Raptors in 2019. Only the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers have surpassed their 35 Christmas games thus far.
Celtics All-Time Christmas Record and Results
The Celtics are 15-20 (.429) all-time on Christmas Day. Boston has lost its last two games on Dec. 25th heading into this year. Check out the franchise's most recent Christmas resu lts below:
- 2011: Boston Celtics 104, New York Knicks 106
- 2012: Boston Celtics 93, Brooklyn Nets 76
- 2016:'Boston Celtics 119, New York Knicks 114
- 2017:'Washington Wizards 111, Boston Celtics 103
- 2018:'Philadelphia 76ers 114, Boston Celtics 121 (OT)
- 2019: Boston Celtics 118, Toronto Raptors 102
- 2020: Brooklyn Nets 123,'Boston Celtics 95
- 2021: Boston Celtics 113,'Milwaukee Bucks 117
- 2022: Milwaukee Bucks TBD, Boston Celtics TBD
Celtics Christmas Day Game 2022
This year, the Celtics welcome the Bucks to town for a rematch of last year's Christmas game. Milwaukee-Boston is the third matchup of the NBA's five-game Christmas slate. These teams are set to tip off at 5 p.m. ET and the game will air on ABC/ESPN.