MIAMI — The Miami Heat are returning to the NBA’s Christmas Day lineup for the first time since 2023, and they’ll do so against one of their biggest Eastern Conference rivals.
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The NBA announced Tuesday that the Heat will visit the Boston Celtics on Dec. 25 as part of the league’s five-game Christmas Day slate. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET at TD Garden.
It will mark the first time Miami and Boston have faced each other on Christmas Day.
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The matchup adds another chapter to a rivalry that has featured several high-stakes postseason meetings. The Heat and Celtics have faced each other four times in the playoffs since 2020.
Miami has also historically performed well on Christmas. The Heat have won 12 of their 14 previous Christmas Day appearances, giving the franchise one of the NBA’s strongest records on the holiday.
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The Heat-Celtics matchup is one of five games scheduled for Christmas. The San Antonio Spurs will visit the defending champion New York Knicks at noon, followed by Miami at Boston. The Philadelphia 76ers will visit the Los Angeles Lakers at 5 p.m., the Oklahoma City Thunder will play at Minnesota at 8 p.m., and the Denver Nuggets will visit the Golden State Warriors at 10:30 p.m.
The Christmas Day announcement is part of a gradual rollout of marquee games for the upcoming 2026-27 NBA season.
The league is expected to release the full 2026-27 schedule Thursday at 3 p.m. ET.
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