The Lakers losing to the Celtics would normally be the main talking point postgame, but unfortunately, LA has bigger issues.
In the fourth quarter, LeBron James suffered a groin strain and couldn’t continue. While the degree of severity and the amount of time he’ll miss are unknown, the fear is that this injury could keep him out for weeks.
While the biggest story will be the LeBron injury, they did play a game against the Celtics on Saturday and a lot of other things happened on the court that are worth unpacking.
So, let’s dive into the loss. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.
Dorian Finney-Smith
36 minutes, 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 3-8 FG, 2-7 3PT, -10
DFS did all of his scoring in the first quarter. After that, he wasn’t effective offensively and was just okay defensively. Finney-Smith has been great on this team but was forgettable against the Celtics.
Grade: C-
LeBron James
35 minutes, 22 points, 14 rebounds, 9 assists, 11-23 FG, 0-6 3PT, 0-3 FT, -11
It’s tough to judge Lebron’s game in this loss. On the one hand, he struggled from deep, missing every shot and was too lethargic during most of the game.
On the other hand, he helped lead the surge in the fourth, and who knows what could’ve happened had he not gotten hurt with seven minutes to play.
In the end, LeBron didn’t play well enough during his 35 minutes on the court for the Lakers to be in a position to beat the No. 2 seed in the East.
Grade: B-
Jarred Vanderbilt
29 minutes, 4 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2-5 FG, 0-1 3PT, 0-1 FT, 0
Vando brought the defensive awareness, but his offense was rough. He went 2-5 from the field and missed some easy buckets in the paint. This is just one game, but there were a couple of fastbreak opportunities where Luka didn’t give Vanderbilt the ball, and it seems to me that’s because he was concerned he wouldn’t be able to finish it.
He’ll never be an elite offensive weapon, but Vando has to be good enough to score easy baskets and be somewhat guardable, or else top teams will continue to leave him open and not respect him as a threat.
Grade: C-
Luka Dončić
37 minutes, 34 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 11-22 FG, 5-10 3PT, 7-8 FT, -19
This was not a good Luka game. He was complaining far too much about fouls, was a defensive liability and really struggled offensively in the first half.
He got going in the third and fourth quarters, but the deficit was too much, and once LeBron left, the result was set.
Luka is also dealing with some back issues, which should be factored into his grade. He talked about this postgame and made it clear that he was fine. Until his movements match his words, this will be something to monitor during this road trip.
Luka Doncic said he has been feeling back soreness since he took that tough fall against the Knicks on Thursday, but added: “I’m fine.”
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 9, 2025
Grade: C
Austin Reaves
39 minutes, 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 5-12 FG, 4-7 3PT, 2-2 FT, -12
This performance by Austin was better than his first game back from his calf strain injury, but that’s not saying much. His rebounding was still below his averages, and he struggled to create open looks for his teammates when he was on-ball.
With LeBron likely out for at least a few games, hopefully, Reaves will get his groove back soon.
Grade: C
Gabe Vincent
19 minutes, 2 points, 1 assist, 1-4 FG, 0-3 3PT, -18
There’s no other way to put it: this was a rough game for Vincent. He didn’t provide much offense and was getting dominated defensively. With Hayes out for this game, there weren’t many options coach JJ Redick could go to, so he had to play Vincent as much as he did.
When Vincent is good, he’s the ex-factor that can raise this team’s ceiling, but on Saturday, he was one of the reasons why they couldn’t win.
Grade: D
Jordan Goodwin
16 minutes, 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 2-6 FG, 2-3 3PT, +6
While many Lakers underperformed against the Celtics, Jordan did not. The masked guard was superb, giving the team a dependable defender, and he also knocked down a couple of 3-pointers. He’s currently on a two-way contract, and the Lakers need to find a way to make him a permanent part of the roster.
Grade: A-
Dalton Knecht
24 minutes, 9 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block 4-6 FG, 1-3 3PT, +9
Knecht had the only block for the Lakers, which is hilarious to me. Overall, he played well, scored some buckets and had a plus-minus of +9. Perhaps Knecht is starting to get his groove back, and if that’s true, it gives LA another shooter they can depend on.
Grade: B+
Trey Jemison III
The Lakers center only played for six minutes, so he will not get a grade tonight. He did have a very ugly shot attempt that he missed, so perhaps not getting graded is good for him.
JJ Redick
This game got away from the Lakers in the third, and Redick tried to help the team get back on track. He called timeouts and even got a technical foul, but he just couldn’t jumpstart the Lakers back into a victory.
They did go on a run in the fourth, but again, once LeBron left, so did the hopes of a win. Given the players available, Redick did as good of a job as one can ask of their head coach.
Grade: B
***Saturday’s DNPs:***Alex Len, Shake Milton, Cam Reddish, Markieff Morris
***Saturday’s inactive:***Christian Koloko, Bronny James, Maxi Kleber, Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at@ECreates88or on Bluesky at@ecreates88.bsky.social.