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Pacers absent for the 20th time in a row

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The Pacers returned to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2014, played in the first in-season tournament and had the NBA's top-scoring offense in the 2023-24 season, but even that wasn't enough to secure them a spot on the NBA's Christmas Day schedule, one of the most important days in the regular season calendar.

The Pacers haven't played on Christmas since 2004. That's the third-longest streak by an NBA team without a Christmas game. Only Sacramento (2003) and the Charlotte Hornets (re-formed in 2004 without playing on Christmas) have gone longer.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on the five matchups in this year's Christmas games Thursday night, not including the Pacers. According to Charania, the Knicks — who defeated the Pacers in seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals — will host Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, continuing the tradition of New York hosting a game at Madison Square Garden on Christmas. The Timberwolves and Mavericks will meet in a rematch of the Western Conference finals in Dallas. The defending NBA champion Celtics will host the 76ers, who just signed former Pacers All-Star Paul George as a free agent. Steph Curry and the Warriors will host LeBron James and the Lakers. Kevin Durant and the Suns will host Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.

The turnout isn't necessarily surprising, as the NBA, as usual, tries to showcase its biggest markets and its biggest individual superstars. Still, it's further evidence of the Pacers' complaints that their successes as a franchise don't attract the appropriate attention from national television networks.

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The Pacers' last Christmas Day game was a 98-93 home loss to the Pistons on December 25, 2004. It was not only a rematch of the previous season's Eastern Conference Finals, but also the game in Detroit that led to the brawl known as “Malice in the Palace” in November of that year. The Pacers beat the Knicks at home in 1999 and the Magic at home in 2000 after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 1999 and the NBA Finals in 2000. Their only previous Christmas Day game came in 1981, when they lost to the Washington Bullets in the nation's capital.

The Sacramento Kings have endured a lengthy drought without playing on Christmas, with their last game coming in 2003. The Charlotte Hornets have never played on Christmas, but the franchise that currently bears that name has only existed as an entity since 2004, when it began as an expansion franchise under the name Charlotte Bobcats after the team previously known as the Charlotte Hornets moved to New Orleans in 2002 and later became the New Orleans Pelicans. That franchise never played on Christmas when it was in Charlotte from 1988 to 2002, but the New Orleans Hornets played on Christmas in 2008 and the Pelicans played on Christmas in 2020.

Year team
2024 Boston, Dallas, Denver, Golden State, LA Lakers, Minnesota, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio
2023 Miami, Milwaukee
2022 Memphis
2021 Atlanta, Brooklyn, Utah
2020 LA Clippers, New Orleans
2019 Zurich
2018 Oklahoma City, Portland
2017 Cleveland, Washington
2016 Chicago
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010 Orlando
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005 Detroit
2004 Indiana
2003 Sacramento
* Neither the current Charlotte Hornets (founded in 2004) nor the former Charlotte Hornets (1988-89 to 2001-02) have played on Christmas.

NBA Christmas Games 2024

San Antonio in New York

Minnesota vs. Dallas

Philadelphia in Boston

Lakers at Golden State

Denter at Phoenix

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