Getty Nets guard Kyrie Irving
Two of the Eastern Conference’s best clash on Christmas Day as the Brooklyn Nets head to Boston to take on the Celtics.
The game starts at 5 p.m. ET and will be televised on ABC, while the other NBA Christmas games will be on either ESPN or ABC. But if you don’t have cable, here’s how you can watch a live stream of the Nets vs Celtics–and every NBA Christmas game–online for free:
Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of ABC (live in select markets), ESPN and 100-plus other TV channels on FuboTV, which you can use for free with a seven-day trial right here:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch the Nets vs Celtics and all the other NBA Christmas games live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
You can also watch the games live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. ABC games can be watched for free without a cable log-in this way, but you’ll need to sign in to a TV provider to watch the games on ESPN. You can use your FuboTV credentials to do that.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV also comes with 250 hours of cloud DVR space.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of ABC (live in select markets), ESPN and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which you can try out for free with a seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the Nets vs Celtics and other NBA Christmas games live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
You can also watch the games live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. ABC games can be watched for free without a cable log-in this way, but you’ll need to sign in to a TV provider to watch the games on ESPN. You can use your Hulu credentials to do that.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu with Live TV also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Vidgo
You can watch a live stream of ABC (live in select markets), ESPN and 65+ other TV channels on Vidgo, which you can use for free with a seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Vidgo, you can watch the Nets vs Celtics and all other NBC Christmas games live on the Vidgo app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Vidgo website.
You can also watch the games live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. ABC games can be watched for free without a cable log-in this way, but you’ll need to sign in to a TV provider to watch the games on ESPN. You can use your Vidgo credentials to do that.
Nets vs Celtics Preview
The Nets looked all the part of a contender in their first regular-season game with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, dismantling the Golden State Warriors 125-99 in their opener. The two stars combined for 48 points, getting first-year head coach Steve Nash the first win of his career.
“It is similar. Different, but similar,” Nash told NBA.com, comparing the coaching experience to his playing days. “Different rhythm, but similar nerves and anxiety to what I had as a player. I always felt a little nerves until I actually got out there in pregame warmups. So I feel that a little bit tonight, and that’s probably a good thing. But to be out there competing, and watching our guys play and trying to help them elevate to their best level is a lot of fun. It’s time. We need to get out there and test ourselves.”
For Durant, it was his first game in over a year, returning from a ruptured Achilles.
“I tried not to make too big a deal out of this whole thing and realize I’ve been playing this game since I was 8 years old, so just got to revert back to what I know,” Durant said.
The Nets are widely considered a top-five contender, which is something Nash and the rest of the squad have embraced.
“I know what we’re playing for and I know that we have high expectations,” said Nash before his debut. “No one’s expectations are higher than ours in our group and our facility. But it’s a journey. We’re not winning anything tonight, other than one game if we’re fortunate enough to do so. So this is the process that we have to continue to learn every day and continue to get better. So yes, we embrace the pressure because if you can’t embrace the pressure you can’t play under pressure and you’re not a championship-caliber team. That’s the process that we also have to embrace along with defining all the things we do strategically on the court is about that result that ability to face adversity, to be down, to stay together, to fight when you don’t have it some nights and to learn how to win ugly.”
The Celtics face their second tough test in a row, but can make a major statement with a win, fresh off beating the Bucks in their opener. Jayson Tatum wrapped up a 30-point night against Milwaukee with a bank-in 3-pointer to win the game with less than a second left.
“Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to be in that position,” Tatum said after the win. “If it goes down or not, that’s what I work so hard for. You just want to be in that moment.”
The side story in the matchup between the Nets and Celtics is that Kyrie Irving is returning to Boston for the first time since departing two seasons ago. Irving used sage at the arena when the Nets played a preseason game against the Cetlics earlier this month.