Saturday night, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics will face off in a battle of two of the NBA’s best teams. With tip-off hours away, fans are expressing concern about the health of two prominent players. They want to know if LeBron James and Anthony Davis will play.
According to ESPN, the Lakers have already ruled out two players ahead of Saturday’s game. Kostas Antetokounmpo will miss the game with a knee injury, while Jared Dudley will also be inactive with a calf injury. James is currently “day-to-day” without an injury designation. SportsLine reports that the Lakers have listed the veteran as questionable before every game in order to open up the opportunity for a potential rest day. Davis, on the other hand, is dealing with a quadriceps injury and is also questionable.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Davis missed Thursday’s loss to the Detroit Pistons with a “bruised right quad.” He experienced some swelling in the muscle, which appeared to cause discomfort during Wednesday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. However, Davis downplayed the issue while speaking to reporters.
“I had a little brush burn on my knee from the court and it was like bothering me on my tights, just rubbing against it, so I just tried to pull them tights up off of it,” Davis said, per ESPN. “But I feel physically fine. I feel fine, and we have a long season to go.” The game on Thursday was the third that Davis missed in the 2021 season.
While James is questionable heading into Saturday’s game, he didn’t show any signs of struggling on Monday night. The Lakers headed to Cleveland for a battle with the Cavaliers while serving as a homecoming for the Ohio native. James scored a season-high 46 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in 38 minutes of play en route to a 115-108 win over his former team. James also did so while dealing with heckler shouting obscenities at him.
According to Clutch Points, a 49-year-old man was forcibly removed from the arena after screaming obscenities at James. He also held up shirts with offensive messages about the Lakers player, including those that referred to James as a “narcissist” and a “racist.” Another shirt referenced James’ mother and said, “Gloria Goes West. Starring LBJ as king narcissist.”
Following the victory over the Cavaliers and two consecutive losses, James will likely suit up for a major battle against the Celtics despite the questionable designation. The game will take place at 8:30 p.m. ET at TD Garden in Boston. No fans can attend due to COVID-19.
