The Los Angeles Lakers are on the hunt for their ninth consecutive win in a matchup against the Boston Celtics on Saturday night.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, they won't be at full strength for this highly-anticipated, primetime matchup at Boston's TD Garden.
Los Angeles forward Rui Hachimura has missed each of the Lakers' last four games since suffering a knee injury in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb. 27. He's been ruled out for Saturday night's matchup against the Celtics as he continues to recover.
JJ Redick provided an update on Hachimura's recovery before tipoff on Saturday night. The Lakers head coach says Hachimura is in the "return to play" protocol, but the team won't have its next update until sometime next week.
JJ Redick says Rui Hachimura is in his return to play protocol, but LAL won't have another update on the forward for about another week
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 9, 2025
Before suffering his knee injury last month, Hachimura was averaging 13.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game on 50.6% shooting from the field. When healthy, the seventh-year NBA veteran is a key contributor for the Lakers' starting lineup.
Hachimura isn't the only notable injury for the Lakers heading into Saturday night's matchup against the Celtics. Starting center Jaxson Hayes has also been ruled out with a right knee contusion.
Saturday's matchup against the Celtics marks the beginning of a four-game road trip for the Lakers, who currently possess a 40-21 record and the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. On Thursday night, Los Angeles notched a 113-109 overtime victory over the New York Knicks.
Saturday night's Lakers-Celtics game will tipoff at 8:30 p.m. EST on ABC.
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This story was originally published March 8, 2025 at 4:27 PM.