LeBron James vs Steph Curry on NBA Christmas Day Games: Head-to-head, stats and more
LeBron James and Steph Curry have been the faces of the NBA over the past decade. They are set to renew their "rivalry" on Christmas as the LA Lakers visit the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Let's look at the head-to-head matchup between the two great players.
Wednesday's game will just be the fourth time James and Curry will battle it out on Christmas. The first two happened in back-to-back years in 2015 and 2016, which were hyped as NBA Finals rematches. The third one was in 2018 when "The King" was in his first season with the Lakers.
Here are the results of the three Christmas games:
- 2015: Golden State Warriors def. Cleveland Cavaliers 89-83
- 2016: Cleveland Cavaliers def. Golden State Warriors 109-108
- 2018: Los Angeles Lakers def. Golden State Warriors 127-101
In their three Christmas games, LeBron James has been superb, averaging a double-double. James is putting on a show for the holidays, taking over games since he's not putting up a lot of games.
Meanwhile, Steph Curry has struggled in these three games against the four-time NBA MVP. Curry has not scored 20 points in any of the contests and shooting a measly 35.3%, including 26.2% from beyond the arc.
Here are LeBron and Steph's averages against each other on Christmas:
The 2016 encounter between the Cavaliers and Warriors is considered one of the greatest Christmas games in NBA history. Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green put on a show as Steph Curry failed to get his rhythm.
LeBron James was superb for the Cavaliers, finishing with 31 points and 13 rebounds. However, it was Kyrie Irving, who stole the show, with 25 points plus the game-winning jump shot over Thompson.
As for the third matchup in 2018, it was total dominance for the Lakers as they blew out the Warriors. Golden State would get the last laugh since they made it to the NBA Finals that season, while the Lakers missed the playoffs.
LeBron James looking forward to Christmas matchup against Steph Curry
Despite the perceived rivalry between LeBron James and Steph Curry, the two seemed close at the 2024 Paris Olympics while representing Team USA. They took home the gold medal, with Curry taking over the semifinals and final.
Speaking to reporters after the LA Lakers' loss on Monday, James was asked about facing Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Christmas.
"Any time you get an opportunity to be on the court and compete vs. one of the greatest to ever play this game, you don't take it for granted," James said, according to Sports Illustrated. "I don't know how many more opportunities will get to go against each other, so it's always fun."
James is turning 40 on Dec. 30. Curry, on the other hand, will be 37 years old in March.