It's a shame that the scheduling impact of the NBA Cup led to the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers meeting in the second half of a back-to-back. While the former could have rested LeBron James on Thursday, above all, the league robbed fans of seeing a pantheon player return to one of the most meaningful venues of his career.
The NBA's marquee rivalry, perhaps the most iconic in sports, is missing several main characters on Friday. The Celtics, of course, won't have Jayson Tatum in the lineup. The six-time All-Star is working his way back from a torn Achilles tendon.
"I'm feeling better, though, I've had 29 weeks to, like, really work on my body. This [is] the strongest I've ever been, the best the rest of my body has ever felt," said Tatum, offering an update during a recent appearance on The Morris Code, a podcast hosted by former NBA players Marcus and Markieff Morris.
Understanding that he can't rush back, and the Celtics won't clear him until he has checked every box on his road to recovery, Tatum noted, "I need to be 100 percent before I get back on the court."
Fortunately for Boston, Jaylen Brown returned to the lineup. Thursday, the former Finals MVP missed a game for the first time this season. His absence, caused by a non-COVID illness, did not stop the pulverizing of the Washington Wizards in the nation's capital. The visitors registered a 146-101 victory. That's their highest-scoring output in the current campaign.
However, the Lakers' injury report tells a different story.
Lakers stars out against the Celtics
Luka Doncic got ruled out on Friday afternoon. That news came as no surprise. The five-time All-NBA First Team selection and his wife recently welcomed their second child. Doncic did not play in Thursday's 123-120 win over the Toronto Raptors, either.
Marcus Smart is also inactive for his return to TD Garden. The Celtics' former floor general is dealing with a left lumbar muscle strain. It will be the fifth straight game that he is out for.
Unfortunately, in one of, and possibly, his last trips to Boston, LeBron James is also out for Friday night's rivalry clash. The four-time league MVP logged 36 minutes in Los Angeles's victory north of the border.
While his streak of scoring in double figures ended, James found Rui Hachimura for a buzzer-beating three from the corner to give the purple and gold the win.
The future first ballot Hall of Famer is dealing with right sciatica and left foot joint arthritis.
Hopefully, this isn't James's last trip to Boston.