With 34 combined NBA championships, basketball’s two most successful franchises tip-off at the TD Garden in Boston tonight, as the sport’s richest rivalry gifts us its lone game of the 2020/21 regular season. Read on as we explain how to get a Lakers vs Celtics live stream and watch the NBA online, no matter where you are in the world right now.
The last time these two teams played each other was roughly this time last year, with the eventual champion Lakers eking out a hard-earned 114-112 win in February 2020 despite a 41-point from Celtics star Jayson Tatum, avenging an earlier 139-107 January loss to the C’s that season.
Fast forward to the current campaign and both Boston and Los Angeles are among the league’s front runners again, the 14-6 Lakers currently third in the Western Conference and the Celtics occupying fourth-place in the East with a 10-6 record.
LA are still firm favorites to make it back-to-back titles in 2021 – a feat that would see them hoist a record 18th banner to surpass the 17 both they and Boston currently hang in their rafters – but have looked more vulnerable than usual of late as they wind down a seven game road trip looking to avoid a third straight loss.
The Celtics, for their part, continue to look like one of the NBA’s most dangerous teams on their day, with young star Jaylen Brown in particular taking a major step forward and putting up some huge numbers in the absence of All-Star guard Kemba Walker, who the C’s finally welcomed back to their starting line-up on Wednesdasy.
Who will triumph this Saturday and gain some much-needed confidence by beating their biggest historical rival? There’s only one way to find out. Read on for how to watch Lakers vs Celtics online and get an NBA live stream wherever you are today.
How to watch NBA blackout games and stream from abroad
Scroll down for a guide to NBA live streaming services all over the world, but first, know that if you can’t watch an NBA game on your usual TV channel or streaming service, it might be due to a coverage blackout (in the US) or a geo-blocking restriction (in international markets).
Both can stop you from watching the coverage you want and most likely pay for, especially with many games being shown on national TV.
When either of these are the case, the simplest and most reliable solution is to use a VPN service to change your IP address to a difference location. This will generally let you tune in to your local coverage, just as you would from home, and means you don’t have to trawl the sketchier corners of the internet for an illegal stream.
Use a VPN to watch NBA basketball online from anywhere
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Lakers vs Celtics live stream: how to watch NBA online in the US
The Lakers vs Celtics game is being shown nationally by ABC tonight. If you have it on cable, great – just head to the ABC website, log-in with your credentials, and stream away. Tip-off for tonight’s game is 8.30pm ET / 3.30pm PT in the US
If you don’t you’ll want to find an over-the-top streaming service that offers ABC as one of its channels – and we can point you towards the best options for most fans.
The best overall way to get an NBA live stream
For most hoops fans, the best way to live stream NBA games is fuboTV, which offers ESPN, TNT and NBA TV along with national channels like ABC, CBS and NBC in most major markets. Packages start from $64.99 a month for the more fully featured cable replacement service and there’s a FREE fuboTV trial you can try to see if it’s right for you.
It also features regional sports networks (RSNs) for local coverage in many areas, including NBC’s affiliates in Philadelphia, Washington and Chicago, plus MSG and SportsNet NY for the New York market and NESN in the Greater Boston area
However, other RSNs including most SportsNet affiliates (including Spectrum SportsNet LA) and New York’s YES Network can now only be found on the AT&T TV Now service.
How to watch your NBA team out of market
Those going online-only can consider the merits of an NBA TV Pass , which gets you access to nationally televised games – though it is subject to blackout restrictions, when they apply. Which means you’ll also need a VPN for a complete solution if you go this route.
How to watch Lakers vs Celtics: live stream the NBA game in Canada
SportsNet and TSN share NBA coverage in Canada, including not only Raptors games but also coverage of some of the other big games from around the league – like tonight’s Lakers vs Celtics showdown.
Coverage is on SN1 in this instance and tip-off is at 8.30pm ET/5.30pm PT tip-off.
It’s widely available on cable but also offers a streaming-only services, SN Now (from $9.99 a month).
For fans of teams that aren’t the Raptors, Canada’s NBA League Pass is another great option. While Raptors games are subject to blackout, no other teams are affected (except when they play the Raptors…), making it well worth considering.
Plus, Canadian hoops fans travelling abroad can always use a VPN to get the same NBA coverage they’d normally watch (and pay for) back home.
Celtics vs Lakers live stream: watch NBA online in the UK
UK basketball fans can watch the NBA and live stream this season’s biggest games (as well as those of the WNBA) on Sky Sports – available on Sky of course, as well as with BT and Virgin Media TV packages.
As you’d expect of a Celtics vs Lakers game, there’ll be coverage on offer in time tip-off tonight, though it’s a late start at 1.30am on both Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Arena.
Not interested in the commitment or cost of a full-fat Sky Sports subscription, but still want to watch the NBA live in the UK? Don’t worry, as you can also purchase a Now TV Sky Sports Pass.
Your final option is the NBA League Pass, which is available in the UK and will get you every single game of the 2020/21 season from just £3.99 a month for your pick of any three NBA games to watch; £14.99 p/m for full coverage of a single team; or £24.99 a month to get a UK NBA live stream of every single game around.
Should you sign up to that or any other UK sports streaming service, you may well want to watch your subscription from abroad – and as detailed above, all you need is a good VPN on your bench,
LA Lakers vs Boston Celtics live stream: how to watch NBA basketball in Australia
If you plan on watching the NBA on TV this season in Australia, then you’ll need a cable package that gives you access to ESPN, as the network owns the country’s NBA broadcast rights and shows the biggest games – including the Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics match-up, which starts at 12.30pm AEDT on the morning of Sunday, January 31 in Oz.
You can get a Foxtel subscription with the channel (Foxtel 509) included that will allow you to watch all the season’s biggest televised games on ESPN, while free-to-air broadcaster SBS may also be showing select NBA action for free on certain weekends.
Don’t want to sign up for Foxtel just to watch the NBA this season? Then great value over-the-top service Kayo Sports has you covered as it will allow you to stream all of ESPN’s NBA coverage for way less than a pay TV package. It costs between $25 and $35 a month, depending on which option, you choose but new customers will be able to test it out for themselves thanks to the service’s 14-day FREE TRIAL.
NBA League Pass is also available in Australia and is a great option for true NBA fanatics who want to watch every game of their favourite team and other action from around the league that might not always be on ESPN’s broadcast schedule.
Going abroad? Remember to consider packing a quality VPN, which will let you access all the same streaming services, NBA games and general sports action you’d normally watch Down Under.