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Lakers’ LeBron James, Luka Doncic, ex-Celtic Marcus Smart out vs. Boston
James’s NBA record of scoring double-digit points in 1,297 consecutive regular season games came to an end Thursday.
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The Lakers (16-5) will be shorthanded and the Celtics (13-9) will continue to be without one of their own superstars during Friday night’s rivalry game at TD Garden. Notably, both teams are playing the second night of a back-to-back.
With Boston’s Jayson Tatum still rehabbing from his torn Achilles, Los Angeles will similarly be without three of their standout players: LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and ex-Celtic Marcus Smart.
James, whose NBA record of scoring double-digit points in 1,297 consecutive regular season games came to an end Thursday, will be sidelined with right sciatica and left foot joint arthritis, the Lakers announced ahead of tipoff Friday.
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The soon-to-be 41-year-old (James’s birthday is Dec. 30) made his season debut on Nov. 18 after missing Los Angeles’ first 14 games. James was diagnosed with sciatica before the start of this season, which kept him away from game action.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer has played in six games this season and is averaging 14 points per game. James is also averaging 7.8 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 0.7 steals per game. The Lakers have won five of the six games James has played in (lost to the Suns on Dec. 1).
Doncic, who was dealt to Los Angeles in February’s stunning trade with the Mavericks last season, is out due to personal reasons. His fiancée reportedly recently gave birth to their second child, a daughter, in Slovenia.
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As for Smart, 31, a former longtime and beloved member of the Celtics, he will not play due to a left lumbar muscle strain. Since being traded to the Grizzlies in June 2023, Smart has only faced Boston once (Dec. 7, 2024, with Memphis). Injuries have kept him out of several potential contests against his ex-team, which he played for for nearly a decade.
Since being traded from the Celtics, Smart has played in 48 games.
With the Celtics, beginning in 2014, Smart appeared in 581 total regular season games (360 starts) and 108 postseason games. He averaged 10.6 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game in the regular season during his tenure. In the playoffs, Smart averaged 12.8/4.9/4.3 per game, as well as 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks per game.
The Lakers will likely heavily depend on guard Austin Reaves to lead them on Friday. Reaves is averaging 28.9 points per game this season. Entering Friday, that’s sixth-best in the league behind the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown (29.0), Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell (30.7), 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey (32.6), Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32.8), and Doncic (35.3).
As for the Celtics, Brown is set to make his return after a one-game absence due to illness. Aside from Tatum, Boston provided a clean injury report ahead of Friday’s 7 p.m. Eastern Time tipoff.
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