The Boston Celtics already have plans in place for Christmas Day.
Bits and pieces of the NBA's schedule for the 2023-34 season are being leaked, and The Athletic's Shams Charania revealed Thursday night that the Boston Celtics will take on the archrival Lakers in Los Angeles on the holiday this upcoming season.
It's a tradition for the Celtics to play on Christmas, a marquee day for the NBA. Boston has played on the holiday the past seven seasons and has accumulated a 16-20 record in franchise history playing on Christmas, including beating the Milwaukee Bucks behind 41 points from Jayson Tatum at TD Garden last year.
The Celtics usually play an Eastern Conference foe on Christmas -- they have done so in each of their last nine matchups -- but this time will get a chance at a longtime rival. Boston swept the regular-season series with the Lakers last season in two thrilling contests that both were decided in overtime.
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The Celtics will share the Christmas Day stage with four other matchups, per Charania, with the New York Knicks hosting the Milwaukee Bucks, the Miami Heat taking on the Philadelphia 76ers, the Phoenix Suns facing the Dallas Mavericks and the reigning champion Denver Nuggets going up against the Golden State Warriors.
It hasn't been revealed what time slot the Celtics will receive, but with two of the premier franchises in the league, it feels likely they will play at a favorable time.
The rest of the Celtics schedule is expected to be released next week, according to veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein.
Featured image via Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports Images
