The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers will renew their historic rivalry for the first time this season on Friday night.
The Celtics will have superstar Jaylen Brown back from a one-game absence for the home contest, while the Lakers could be severely shorthanded.
Luka Doncic (who leads the NBA in scoring at 35.3 points per game) is out, while LeBron James has been downgraded to doubtful due to right sciatica and a left foot injury.
King James missed the first 14 games of the season because of his sciatica but has played in six of Los Angeles’ last seven contests, including Thursday night’s win vs. the Toronto Raptors. James struggled in the victory, however, scoring just eight points on 4-for-17 shooting.
Doncic is out for personal reasons, as he back in Slovenia with his fiancée, Anamaria Goltes, who gave birth to the couple’s second daughter on Wednesday.
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The Lakers will also be without former longtime Celtics guard Marcus Smart, who is nursing a left lumbar muscle strain.
Boston easily handled the Washington Wizards on Thursday in Brown’s first missed game of the year, defeating its opponent, 146-101.
Featured image via Dan Hamilton/Imagn Images
