Celtics face the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena Sunday.
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The Boston Celtics face the Los Angeles Lakers in a nationally televised game Sunday.
The Boston Celtics visit Los Angeles to face the Lakers in the latest game between the NBA’s most heated rivals on Sunday. Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. PT at the Lakers’ home of Crypto.com Arena. For Celtics fans and others in the Eastern Time Zone, that start time is 6:30 p.m. ET.
In a rare occurrence, the nationally televised game will feature both teams at full health — except for Celtics four-time All-NBA first-team selection Jayson Tatum, who has been sidelined all season as he works his way back from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals.
With NBA games returning to NBC this season for the first time since 2002, Sunday’s Celtics vs. Lakers game will be carried nationwide by NBC. Fans will need to check their local cable and satellite TV guides or over-the-top streaming apps for the channel that carries NBC programming.
For fans who would rather watch on a smartphone, tablet or other streaming device, live streaming of Celtics vs. Lakers will also be available on the Peacock app and website, but requires a subscription. The basic Peacock subscription costs $79.99 annually or $7.99 on a monthly basis, with higher tiers available for $109.99 per year ($10.99 monthly) and $169.99 annually ($16.99 per month) for the highest-level Peacock tier.
Because the game will be televised by NBC, video of the Celtics vs. Lakers clash will not be available to subscribers of NBA League Pass, though audio of each team’s radio broadcasts will stream live via League Pass, as well as on the subscription-based SiriusXM app and satellite radio system.
What time is Celtics vs. Lakers and where is it played?
The game begins at 6:30 p.m. ET, 3:30 p.m. PT, at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles, the Lakers’ home since 1999. The game has at least a chance of being a preview of the NBA Finals, with the Celtics entering the game at 36-19, in second place in the Eastern Conference, and the Lakers at 34-21 in fifth place in the Western Conference.
The Lakers and Celtics have met once already this season, in a Dec. 5 game at TD Garden in Boston. The Celtics won that game 126-105, with the Lakers’ Austin Reaves leading all scorers with 36 points. But Celtics five-time All-Star Jaylen Brown scored 30 as Boston cruised.
Sunday’s game will be the 304th regular-season matchup between the Celtics and Lakers, going back to 1948 when the Lakers, then located in Minneapolis, lost two of three games to Boston. In all regular-season games, the Celtics lead the rivalry with 168 wins to 135 for the Lakers.
The two rivals have also met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals. The Celtics have dominated those series, winning nine to just three for the Lakers.
Who is injured and who is playing for the Celtics and Lakers?
With one notable exception, both the Lakers and Celtics come into the Sunday game fully healthy, with no significant players listed as injured for the Lakers. For the Celtics, only Tatum is listed on the injury report.
The Celtics superstar suffered a torn Achilles tendon in last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks. Tatum has missed every game this season as he rehabilitates from the injury.