The Los Angeles Lakers are hot, the rolling Boston Celtics are trying to repeat as NBA champions, and new Lakers star Luka Doncic gets his first dose of the historic rivalry Saturday when the two teams meet in Boston (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
The Celtics are 45-18, in second place in the Eastern Conference and have won 12 of their past 15 games.
The Lakers have won eight consecutive games, are 20-4 since losing to San Antonio on Jan. 13 and are 9-2 with Doncic in the lineup following the blockbuster trade with Dallas.
Here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s game, including historical context, how to watch, LeBron James’ stellar play with Doncic and the Celtics’ pursuit of another title:
How to watch the Lakers-Celtics game Saturday
Mike Breen, Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson will call the game with Lisa Salter handling sideline reporting duties for the Lakers-Celtics:
Date: Saturday
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT
Location: TD Garden (Boston)
TV: ABC
Streaming:
ESPN+
Disney+
Fubo
DirecTV Stream
YouTube TV
Hulu with live TV
Why the Lakers are winning
The Lakers were starting to play better before the Doncic trade, and the five-time All-NBA selection has given them an additional boost – one that makes them contenders to win the Western Conference. The Lakers are scoring 117.9 points and allowing 104.5 points per 100 possessions with Doncic on the court. He’s averaging 23.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.9 steals in 10 games with the Lakers. Doncic has back-to-back 30-point games headed into the Celtics matchup, including 32 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds in Thursday’s overtime victory against New York.
Doncic’s presence has given James an offensive lift, too. In his past 11 games, James is averaging 27.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.1 steals and shooting 52.8% from the field and 39% on 3-pointers.
The Lakers have the offense, and they’re playing better defensively in the past month.
Why the Celtics are winning
The Celtics are headed for their fourth consecutive 50-win season and are trying to reach the Finals for the third time in four seasons. They have the talent, roster, coaching and experience to do that with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Payton Pritchard.
The Celtics are one of two teams (Oklahoma City is the other) in the top five in offensive and defensive rating, scoring 119.2 points and allowing 110.2 points per 100 possessions. Six players average at least 10 points led by Tatum’s 26.9 points per game and Brown’s 23.1 points per game.
The Celtics lead the league in made 3s per game (17.9) and are on pace to set a record for made 3s in a season, surpassing the 2022-23 Warriors (1,363).
Lakers-Celtics rivalry
The Celtics have won 18 NBA championships, and the Lakers have won 17. Boston broke the tie last season with a victory over Dallas – then led by Doncic – in five games.
The teams have met in the Finals 12 times with Boston winning nine times. The Lakers won the most recent Finals between the two, beating the Celtics in seven games in 2010.
They have the two best regular-season winning percentages all-time: the Celtics at .596 and the Lakers at .592.
Some of the best players all-time have played for the franchises. Among them: Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, Bill Walton, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Jayson Tatum, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt