The Boston Celtics welcome the Los Angeles Lakers TD Garden on Friday night in their first matchup of the 2021-22 NBA season.
There was speculation leading up to the game about whether or not LeBron James would feel ok to play for tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET. A true game-time decision, the Lakers announced that James will make his return back the starting lineup for the famous rivalry.
The Los Angeles star had been sidelined for the last few weeks with an abdominal strain, but James will be on the court on Friday night, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday, citing NBA sources.
The Lakers certainly could use the reinforcements after losing two of their last three games, including an ugly loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves that prompted Anthony Davis to tear his team to shreds.
The Celtics, on the other hand, will be without star guard Jaylen Brown and Robert Williams once again.
