BOSTON -- The oldest and fiercest rivalry in the NBA is set to tip-off in about 15 minutes.

Both coaches talked before the game about the significance of it, and the injuries that their stars are fighting through.

When asked if this was a statement game, Lakers coach Phil Jackson said: "It's a statement for January. It's the highlight of this trip."

Jackson said that rivalry is "great for the fans. That's not what's important to us though. This is a measurement for our team. It's always good to have a chance to stand up against some of the elite teams and see how you do."

Boston coach Doc Rivers said that the Celtics are excited to play against the Lakers.

"Obviously it's great to play them," Rivers said. "You only get two cracks at them so it's special. It's always special playing them but at the end of the day we always focus on what we need to try to do better. Obviously it's not a normal game whenever you play them."

The Celtics have lost back-to-back games against two of the better teams in the East - Orlando and Atlanta. They have put those games behind them, Rivers said.

"We lost two games. We're not going to overplay it. In Orlando we obviously handed that back. And Atlanta just beat us. Once those are over we can't get them back. We've been a group that always plays in the forward, and that's what we're doing."

The Lakers have won three games in a row and seven of their last 10.

Lakers star guard Kobe Bryant has been battling an ankle injury, but Jackson said that he will be good to go today. Bryant can become the Lakers all-time leading scorer with 48 points today.

"He wasn't very limber on it yesterday," Jackson said. "He was slow moving but I think he'll be alright today."

Rivers said that star forwards Kevin Garnett (knee) and Paul Pierce (knee) are no where near 100 percent, but he expects that they will fight through the pain and be successful today.