LeBron James is expected to miss another matchup for the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.
Following a tight win over the Toronto Raptors, James and the Lakers traveled to close out a back-to-back with a matchup against the Boston Celtics.
Heading into the game, the Lakers had an unfortunate update on LeBron James. The superstar forward was downgraded to doubtful for the outing.
According to the injury report, he has two injury designations. The first is the sciatica injury, which he dealt with throughout the offseason and into the first few weeks of the regular season.
The second is LeBron’s recent foot injury, which held him out of a game earlier this week.
While the Lakers didn’t rule him out from the jump, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports that the Lakers made the final unfortunate call on the veteran’s status for Friday night. LeBron James is out against the Celtics.
LeBron James Downplays Injury Concerns
When the Lakers took on the Phoenix Suns earlier this week, LeBron James addressed his most recent absence with a comical quote.
“It’s called old,” James joked. “You just wake up with [expletive] that you didn’t have the night before.”
That was in regard to James’ foot injury, which has been a lingering minor concern, according to LA’s head coach, JJ Redick.
When LeBron missed the November 30 matchup against the Pelicans, the Lakers managed to take care of business with a 133-121 victory. He would be back out on the court for the following two matchups.
Against the Suns, James scored 10 points, while dishing out three assists in 31 minutes. The Lakers lost 125-108. On Thursday, James accounted for eight points, 11 assists, and six rebounds in 35 minutes, helping the Lakers secure a 123-120 victory over the thriving Raptors.
At 16-5, the Lakers are set to take on a 13-9 Celtics team on Friday. Currently, the Lakers have a handful of key players on the injury report. LeBron is joined by Marcus Smart, who will miss the matchup due to a back injury. Luke Doncic will also remain out as well, due to personal reasons.
The Lakers and the Celtics are slated for a 7 PM ET tip.
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