Neither of the Lakers stars will suit up on Friday night, turning one of the marquee contest of the night into a watered-down version of itself.
The Boston Celtics (13-9) will get a significant break on Friday night when they take on the Los Angeles Lakers (16-5). LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Marcus Smart are all out for the Lakers.
Doncic and Smart were ruled out earlier the day, while James had been listed as doubtful with right sciatica and left foot arthritis.
While this is a benefit for the Celtics as a team, it's a loss for Celtics fans who were hoping to see one of the best duos in the NBA at TD Garden for the only time this year. Given that James's career beyond this year is uncertain, this could have been his final game in Boston. Instead, he'll miss it.
About to be 41 years old, James is arguably the greatest player in NBA history. The former No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft (2023), he's a 21-time All-Star, a four-time NBA champion, a 21-time All-NBA selection, a four-time MVP, a four-time Finals MVP, a six-time All-Defensive selection and a Rookie of the Year.
He's also helped Team USA to Olympic gold medal wins in 2008, 2012 and 2024. He was also the flag bearer for Team USA at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
As for Doncic, he's one of the best players currently in the NBA. The 26-year-old Slovenian is an eight-year veteran of the Dallas Mavericks and Lakers, already earning five All-Star selections and five All-NBA selections. He was a Rookie of the Year and a scoring champion, and he led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals in 2023-24, but they were beaten by the Celtics in the finals. That was Boston's 18th championship.
While Smart was not part of the Celtics during that championship run, he is one of the most beloved C's players of the 2000s. He spent nine years with Boston before going to Memphis, Washington and the Lakers.
He was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2021-22 and is a three-time All-Defensive team selection. He has averaged 10.6 ppg for his career.
About the Celtics
Even without Jayson Tatum, the Celtics are currently playing well. They've won three of the last four games and have taken five of their last six.
They defeated the Wizards 146-101 in a blowout the last time out.
Tonight's game is at 7 p.m. ET and you can find information about how to watch here. Boston is tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference.
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