NBA Trade News, Kyrie Irving, Paul George
Nov 6, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving (11) goes to the basket past Atlanta Hawks forward Taurean Prince (12) during the second half at Philips Arena. USA TODAY Sports / Dale Zanine

The NBA returns to the United Kingdom on Thursday (Friday AEDT) as the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers lock horns at the 02 Arena in London. The NBA London Games are part of the league's initiative to help expand basketball well beyond North America.

In previous years, the NBA had hosted a total of 36 preseason and regular season games in countries such as China, Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, Brazil, France and Spain. The league will be returning to London for the first time since Jan. 14, 2016, when the Toronto Raptors beat the Orlando Magic 106-103 in an overtime game.

The Celtics were reportedly advised to avoid sleeping during their five-hour flight to London to ensure their body clocks wouldn't be affected. "I wish I would have slept. It's difficult. I see everything behind it, and it's a lot of great information. But I think if I would've slept a half an hour or an hour, it would've been beneficial. It's been a hard couple of days, but I'm hanging in there," centre Al Horford said on the eve of the game.

Celtics star Kyrie Irving wants to use the London stage to showcase his appreciation for fans, who recently voted him as the starter for the 2018 NBA All-Star game. "I'm appreciative of all fan votes. I'm just a fan of basketball, a fan of sport and now I get to mark off my bucket of playing at the O2 Arena. I can't wait for that experience and to have the opportunity to come here to Europe and especially London and to grow the game of basketball for the NBA."

Meanwhile, Sixers big man Joel Embiid is soaking in the spirit of London and hopes to catch a soccer game during his time in the country. "I'm really excited to play NBA in London and cannot wait to kick their (butts). Just walking around (the city), it was beautiful. Beautiful women ... so I had a great time. I'm just excited to be going there. Obviously want to get a win, and if I get a chance to catch a soccer game, I'm going to do that, too."

The game will mark the third of four regular season match-ups between the two Eastern Conference teams. The Celtics won the previous two games on Oct. 20 (102-92) and Nov. 30 (108-97). Despite the venue, it will be considered a Sixers home game. Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers live streaming, Celtics vs Sixers live streaming, Celtics live streaming and Sixers live streaming info follows.

Celtics vs Sixers live stream: Watch NBA London Games online
Date: Thursday, Jan. 11 (Friday in Australia)
Start Time: 8 p.m. (Local Time), 7 a.m. AEDT (Friday)
TV Channel: NBATV (Global), CSNN, CSN (USA)
Live Stream: NBA League Pass, NBA TV (Global)