For James, it won't be the first time: if he plays Thursday with the Lakers, it will be his twentieth Christmas game. Being a part of that is really great, said Williams. I'm really looking forward to it. For most of the Thunder, it will be their first time: the only current Oklahoma City players to have ever scored in a Christmas game are Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso. It's one of 82 at the end of the day, but it's an elevated circumstance due to the attention on the game and the noise around it. Jalen Williams and the defending NBA champion team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, whose players felt snubbed by the schedule makers last year, are on the league's featured list of games this year, facing the San Antonio Spurs as part of the annual quintet on December 25. The schedule, all times Eastern: Cleveland at New York begins at noon, followed by Spurs at Oklahoma City at 2:30 p.m., Dallas at Golden State at 5:00 p.m., Houston at the Los Angeles Lakers at 8:00 p.m., and Minnesota at Denver at 10:30 p.m. As a basketball player, I feel that you grow — actually, if you're a sports fan, you grow up watching sports on Christmas. I'm going to be completely honest: I would much rather be at home on the couch with my family all day, but my number is called, our number is called, so we have to go out and perform. It has always been an honor to be a part of it.
