Very little happens in the NBA during the month of August, but the most important item is always the schedule drop.
Bits and pieces of the NBA schedule are often leaked ahead of the official schedule release, which is likely to be later next week. The most important primetime games are often highlighted ahead of time though, including the NBA’s Christmas schedule.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Denver Nuggets will take part in the NBA’s Christmas slate for the fourth straight season, facing the Minnesota Timberwolves.
🚨🎄 NBA Christmas Day 2025 on ABC and ESPN, per sources:
– Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks
– San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder
– Houston Rockets at LA Lakers
– Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors
– Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 8, 2025
The Nuggets have faced the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, and Suns again in each of the last three seasons. The NBA has made a consistent effort to have Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets on national television on Christmas, with the only Christmas game the Nuggets have missed in the last seven seasons being the season both Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. were out for the year.
This year, the Nuggets will face the Timberwolves, who they have had a staunch rivalry with over the last three seasons. Denver defeated Minnesota on the way to a championship in 2023, but Minnesota has dominated Denver in 2024 and 2025 in contrast, including a seven-game playoff series victory in 2024.
With Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, and Julius Randle leading the way, the Timberwolves remain a difficult opponent for Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and the Nuggets. There’s no love lost between the two franchises, and if all parties remain healthy, it should be a contested Christmas matchup.
In addition to the Christmas matchup the Nuggets and Timberwolves will also play a preseason game in San Diego following what is likely to be a Nuggets training camp week on the west coast.
I’m sure someone’s posted this already, but the Nuggets preseason schedule is out ⬇️
10/4 vs Minnesota @ Pechanga Arena in San Diego
10/6 @ Toronto @ Rogers Arena in Vancouver
10/12 @ LA Clippers
10/14 vs Chicago in Ball Arena
10/17 @ OKC Thunder
— Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) August 8, 2025
If Nuggets fans were tired of the Timberwolves already, they will be by the end of the 2025-26 season.
