Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) drives to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) in a March 2025 game.

Their rivalry is the greatest produced by the NBA, with more league championships between them than everyone else. So it's always special when the Boston Celtics play the Los Angeles Lakers, whether it's one of their two annual regular-season matchups or their record 12 meetings in the NBA Finals.

The first game between the 2025-26 version of the Celtics and Lakers is set for Friday, Dec. 5 at TD Garden in Boston, with Amazon Prime broadcasting the rivalry game for the first time. The only concern is that many of the signature stars from both teams aren't likely to play.

Luka Doncic of the Lakers missed Thursday's game against the Toronto Raptors for personal reasons, and will be out again on Friday. LeBron James is also now listed as out after his streak of games with 10 or more points ended with a game-winning assist Thursday at Toronto.

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, meanwhile, didn't play Thursday against the Washington Wizards due to an illness, but isn't listed on the team's injury report against the Lakers. Jayson Tatum remains out as he continues his rehab from a torn Achilles suffered at the end of last season.

The Lakers and Celtics are both off to encouraging starts this season. Los Angeles is near the top of the Western Conference standings with Doncic leading the NBA in scoring. Boston is still competitive in the East with Tatum out, in part, because Brown is on pace to set a new career high in scoring.

Here's how to watch Friday's NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics:

What time is Lakers vs. Celtics game today?

The Boston Celtics will host the Los Angeles Lakers Friday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. ET at the TD Garden.

Watch Lakers vs. Celtics with Amazon Prime Video

How to watch Lakers vs. Celtics NBA game: TV, live streaming

The game between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers will be live streamed nationally on Amazon Prime Video.

  • Date: Dec. 5, 2025
  • Time: 7 p.m. ET
  • Location: TD Garden (Boston)
  • TV: None
  • Streaming: Amazon Prime Video

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How to watch Lakers vs. Celtics NBA game Friday on Amazon Prime Video

Reporting by Mark Giannotto, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect