The Los Angeles Lakers could be without a couple of key role players on Saturday night as they arrive in Boston to take on the Celtics. The team officially listed four starters on their injury report for Saturday night including stars Luka Doncic (right knee contusion) and LeBron James (left foot injury management). Both of those key starters are expected to play after being listed as probable. However, the Lakers will be without Rui Hachimura (left knee) who has been ruled out. Starting center Jaxson Hayes is also questionable with a right knee contusion.
The Lakers will be looking for their ninth straight win as they kick off a four-game road trip. They are coming off an overtime win over the Knicks on Thursday night in LA and have gone 8-2 overall with Luka Doncic in the lineup since acquiring the former Mavericks All-Star.
The Celtics are expected to have some serious reinforcements back in the lineup after winning without five rotation players on Thursday night over the 76ers. Jaylen Brown (knee) and Al Horford (toe) will both be back in the lineup after being removed from the injury report entirely. Sam Hauser (ankle), Jrue Holiday (mallet finger) and Kristaps Porzingis (illness) were all upgraded for questionable.
Porzingis and Holiday have missed the past four games. Porzingis has sat out five of the last six games overall but indicated on his Instagram account Friday that he plans to play on Saturday.
“He’s sick,” Mazzulla said Thursday. “He’s coming into the facility every day trying to get shots up, sweat it out. He’s just not feeling well. He is working to get back.”
Holiday has been dealing with a mallet finger injury that will likely result in his being with a splint on his right pinky whenever he does return to the lineup.
“I went for a rebound, ball hit my finger and next thing you know I’m in a cast,” Holiday said last week. ‘Obviously a little frustrating, would love to be as healthy as possible, but things happen."
The Celtics will be going for their fourth straight win overall when they host the Lakers in a nationally televised matchup on ABC at 8:30 p.m. Saturday night.
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