Story by
Lakers injury report: LeBron James downgraded for Celtics game
- Story by
- Lakers injury report: LeBron James downgraded for Celtics game
The Lakers will be shorthanded as they face the Celtics at 7 p.m. Friday in Boston in the latest edition of the classic rivalry. LeBron James was downgraded to doubtful for the game with right sciatica and left foot joint arthritis. Luka Doncic also remains out due to personal reasons as he had a kid recently.
On the Celtics front, Marcus Smart is also out due to a left lumbar muscle strain. Smart hasn’t played since Nov. 25 because of the injury. He’s been an important member for Los Angeles , but he won’t get to play in a Lakers jersey in Boston.
Advertisement
The Lakers beat the Raptors 123-120 on a Rui Hachimura game-winning 3-pointer on Thursday. James had the game-winning assist on the play. But it also meant he didn’t score at least 10 points, snapping his streak of 1,297 games straight hitting that mark.
James has had a slow start to the season after missing the opening weeks due to the sciatica issue. He also turns 41 later this month. With the Lakers on the back-to-back, it’s no surprise to see them rest the future Hall of Famer. But it a bummer the Lakers will be without both of their stars in James and Doncic for Friday’s rivalry game.
The Celtics are coming off a blowout victory over the Wizards on Thursday, so they’ll also be on the second game of a back-to-back. Jaylen Brown will make his return from a one-game absence as he sat the Wizards game due to an illness. The C’s come into Friday’s game at 13-9, going 8-2 in their last 10 games. The Lakers are 16-5 as part of a strong start.
More Celtics content
Advertisement
Read the original article on MassLive . Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
