Former Vol Dalton Knecht played three minutes for the Lakers on Christmas. He scored two points and converted 1-of-1 field goal attempts. Luka Doncic led Los Angeles in scoring with 25 points. LeBron James also totaled 18 points, two rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block for the Lakers.

A pair of Western Conference squads that are hoping to make a big splash in the postseason after first round exits last season meet up at crypto.com Arena in the fourth Christmas game on the NBA schedule as the Houston Rockets visit the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Houston Rockets face the Los Angeles Lakers in an NBA Christmas Day Game on Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025 (12/25/25) at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif.

NBA fans will be gifted a classic LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant matchup on Christmas, as the Houston Rockets (17-10) travel out west to take on the Los Angeles Lakers (19-9). Both teams rank in the top 10 of overall offensive scoring. LA’s dynamite backcourt duo of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves has boosted their offensive rating to 117.8.

BOSTON — The Celtics dominated the Lakers 126-105 on Friday at TD Garden, overwhelming the shorthanded visitors. The C’s won their fourth straight game to improve to 14-9. The Lakers dropped to 16-6 in a crowded West standings.

Luka Doncic is expected to unveil his new Jordan Brand Luka 5 upon returning to the Los Angeles Lakers lineup for their Christmas Day game.

The Phoenix Suns led by as many as 32 points in their 132-108 win on Dec. 23 over the Los Angeles Lakers at Mortgage Matchup Center.

The Houston Rockets are sweating over the availability of their headliner, Alperen Sengun, for the Christmas Day game against the LA Lakers on Thursday.

Rockets -4.5; over/under is 228.5 BOTTOM LINE: The Los Angeles Lakers take on the Houston Rockets. The Lakers are 14-7 against Western Conference opponents. Los Angeles ranks sixth in the Western Conference with 51.