The 1 Celtics game you must not miss on 2025-26 NBA schedule

Following another trade and a summer buyout, Smart has distanced himself from the green and white. He’ll now don the purple and gold after signing a two-year, $11 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, much to the chagrin of the Boston faithful.

This surprising move adds an extra point of interest to the already fascinating Celtics-Lakers rivalry. And, if any Celtics game is must-see TV next season, it’s their primetime meeting with Smart and the Lakers at TD Garden on Friday, December 5.

Why you can’t miss Celtics-Lakers on Dec. 5

Any matchup between the biggest rivals in basketball is worth watching, yet Dec. 5 should be especially intriguing.

Celtics fans have already welcomed Smart home, filling TD Garden with applause when the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year first took the court against his old team in December. That was when Smart was with the Grizzlies though, a team that the C’s essentially have no beef with.

The history between the Celtics and Lakers is a very different story. Will Smart still receive cheers during his second homecoming? Could those cheers turn to jeers?

Despite how passionately Celtics fans hate the Lakers (and vice versa), Smart should still expect a more positive reaction. Conversely, Lakers star LeBron James personally shouldn’t, as the future Hall of Famer is consistently booed in Boston due to his past of terrorizing the Eastern Conference.

While James hasn’t said anything definitive about retirement, December could be one of his final games at TD Garden. The 40-year-old is likely entering the last few seasons of his storied career, and it’s no longer a guarantee he’ll be healthy every night.

As a result, fans should make the most of Dec. 5. It’s no secret that Celtics nation largely dislikes James, but Boston fans will miss him and the excitement he brought to TD Garden when he officially calls it quits.

Carrying the torch in James’ absence will be Lakers star Luka Doncic. The former Dallas Maverick fell in the 2024 NBA Finals to the Celtics, and Brown seemed to particularly enjoy guarding him throughout the lopsided series.

In fact, that defensive passion carried over into last season, when Brown hounded the first-year Laker during a 111-101 Celtics win in early March. The longest-tenured Celtic’s personal battle with Doncic (and Smart) will be something to look forward to in December.

Individual matchups aside, the Celtics’ showdown with the Lakers could help shape who they are as a team. At the moment, the 2025-26 Celtics are an unknown. They have several pieces left over from their dominant title run in 2024, however, they’re far from the same team.

If Brown and company can take down the Lakers, who will probably be favored in this contest, perhaps they’ll show some underdog spirit and surprise people. If Boston gets leveled by Los Angeles, perhaps the NBA was right to deny the Celtics games on opening night and Christmas Day for the first time in a decade.

No matter what, the C’s still have a long way to go before that rivalry game. But once training camp ends and Boston’s roster is more defined, Dec. 5 is a date to watch for.