Complete history of the Brooklyn Nets playing on Christmas Day

Dec. 25, 1981

In their third Christmas Day game as part of the NBA, New Jersey finally secured its first win on Dec. 25 in 1981. In a game at Madison Square Garden, the Nets went back-and-forth with the Knicks in an evenly-matched contest.

At the half, New Jersey led New York by five points, but the Nets found themselves down, 72-69, entering the final quarter of play. Ray Williams was the difference-maker for New Jersey in the final 12 minutes, scoring 12 points. James Bailey knocked down a jump shot with 19 seconds left to play to seal the victory before the Knicks missed the potential game-winner.

Ironically, both teams hit 36 shots from the field. New Jersey shot 43.5% and New York 41.9%. That’s not the only similar statistic that was shared. The Nets finished with 23 assists, while the Knicks contributed 22. Even the total number of fouls was almost identical — New York had 29, New Jersey had 28.

The Nets were led by Williams with 24 points (7-of-12), with reserve James Bailey contributing 18 (6-of-9), Otis Birdsong adding 15 (7-of-14), and reserve Albert King finishing with 12 (6-of-11).

Micheal Ray Richardson scored a team-high 20 points for the Knicks.

New Jersey escaped with a 96-95 victory to break its 11-game losing streak at the world’s most famous arena. The Nets left Manhattan that day with a 10-12 record and New York dropped to 12-15.