The Los Angeles Lakers have hit hard times. Their run to the playoffs has been derailed by injuries and trade-deadline discord. While the team is on a public damage-control blitz about the latter, the injury news continues to get worse. Brandon Ingram is done for the season. Lonzo Ball is meeting with doctors today and may also be ruled out for the remainder of the season. Kyle Kuzma, who burned the Celtics for 25 points in Boston, is also out for this game. There is a feeling of dread around L.A., and Brad Stevens wants the Celtics to avoid getting swept up in it and focus on playing the way they have in the first two games of this trip. “You have to play well to win,” Stevens told reporters before the game at the Staples Center. “It’s hard to win, teams are good in this league, players are good in this league. For us to play well, we have to focus on being solid and aggressive in our defense, and then sharing the ball and making sure we’re playing together the right way offensively. All that other stuff is just a byproduct of doing your job well.” There is one player the Lakers do have. LeBron James is still going to take the floor and he’s not exactly going to lay down just because the Lakers are shorthanded. If anything, he’s going especially focused on carrying this Lakers team in front of a national TV audience. “I mean, they have more than enough,” Stevens said. “It starts with LeBron. Obviously, his dominance has been well-chronicled. But they have a number of other guys that do a lot of good things. Obviously, the next one that really stands out to us is Rondo because of the way he’s played against us and obviously the respect we all have for him. They beat us last time, his shot obviously was the difference.” Boston’s biggest flaw, as we all know by now, has been subpar and selfish effort, especially when they feel like things are well in hand. The Celtics can’t get lazy against the Lakers because L.A. has two guys who can kill teams with their basketball I.Q. “You’re not going to surprise those guys with actions. You’re not going to surprise those guys with what you’re running,” Stevens said. “You may score on an ATO like that once every couple of games but it’s not -- those guys know what’s coming. They’ve lived everything in the league, they’ve seen everything in the league. So it’s just a matter of doing your job as well as you can. They’re both very very smart basketball players.” This game feels dangerous for the Celtics. They have been feeling great about themselves for a few days, the media coverage has been largely positive, and the guys seem to be having fun again. This can go south in a hurry if they stay on brand and mess around too much against a team they should smoke. The Celtics have a strong opportunity to make a little move in the East and send a message that their brand has changed. A win can move them within a half game of Philadelphia and a game-and-a-half of the third-seeded Indiana Pacers. Boston still has two game against Indy on the schedule, so a sprint to the third seed isn’t out of the question. For them to do it, they have to carry the good vibes down the California coast from Oakland and Sacramento. If they stay engaged, the can show the national TV audience that Boston might, in fact, be back. “When they play the way they’ve played the last couple games, they’ve got weapons everywhere,” Lakers coach Luke Walton said. “First unit, second unit, small lineups, bigger, more-physical lineups. Defensively they compete, so they’re a team that’s been playoff-tested. They’ve been together for a while now. This is just proof that when they’re clicking, they’re tough to beat.” Other pregame notes: - Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown completely change the dynamic of Boston’s second unit. With both of them clicking, the Celtics are able to counter runs from opposing teams, and at critical junctures where the Celtics have struggled in the past, notably third quarters. “The stint in the first half has been just OK, but then you look at when they came back in the Washington game, the Houston game, Portland game, those have all been better,” Brad Stevens said before the game. “So I’m encouraged by their play overall. We need those guys to be good. When we’re trying to compete against the best of the best, trying to be the best version of ourselves, our depth has to be a strength. Lot of the year we’ve talked openly about how hard it’s been for everybody as we’ve changed roles and opportunities, and it hasn’t always been a strength, but it’s starting to show it can be and hopefully will be.” The value of having Hayward and Brown playing well is that Boston can then build a lineup around them that allows them to match up with other teams. “(Hayward) allows, as does Jaylen, you to play any number of guys in that group,” Stevens said. “You could come back with Tatum in that group, you could come back with Al and Baynes and go big, we could come back with Morris next to Terry and those two guys. Their versatility allows us some flexibility there.” - Rajon Rondo is in a tough spot. He’s recently come under fire for sitting away from the team while the game was going on, but Luke Walton lauded his professionalism today. “He wants to win. I think part of the reason he came here to win, which we were all excited to do and we were doing earlier in the season, and as we hit the unfortunate second part of the season I think people have been a little frustrated. But he continues to be a great teammate, continues to work extremely hard.”<doc-sep>Michael Dwyer/Associated Press Boston Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving missed Wednesday night's game against the Sacramento Kings with a bruised left thigh, but the Celtics confirmed Friday afternoon that Irving will be back for Saturday's road game versus the Los Angeles Lakers. Head coach Brad Stevens described Irving as "fine," and Irving participated fully in practice Friday. Irving told reporters afterward that his missing the Sacramento game was "preventative," as he's trying to be as healthy as possible for the playoffs: Chris Forsberg of NBCS Boston captured video of Irving playing one-on-one with forward Jayson Tatum and guard Jaylen Brown: Without Irving on Wednesday, Boston topped Sacramento 111-109 behind a game-winning shot from Gordon Hayward. Hayward also led the way in a win over the Warriors on Tuesday with 30 points off the bench. Irving told Scott Cacciola of the New York Times: "That long plane ride [West Coast trip] helped us out. I'll just say that. We needed it. ... We were going to get to a point where we were just going to get tired of fighting each other, fighting the outside world when it doesn't really matter. So we just wanted to come out here and play basketball." If the 40-26 Celtics can beat both the Lakers and L.A. Clippers, they will bring a four-game winning streak home to Boston to build upon. Irving—who has a player option for 2019-20—has missed 12 games but is putting up another stellar stat line with averages of 23.4 points, 7.0 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.<doc-sep>
Here is what you need to know before the Lakers etch another chapter into their rivalry with the Boston Celtics. 1) Shoutout to South Bay Aside from LeBron James’ historic achievement, the first half of Wednesday’s loss to Denver was one of the ugliest of the Lakers’ season. And when that swelled to a 23-point deficit early in the third quarter, it took a superb effort from an unheralded crew to claw the Lakers back into it. With two-way players Alex Caruso (15 points, six rebounds) and Johnathan Williams (eight points in 15 minutes) putting in work on both sides of the floor, the Lakers erupted on a 32-11 run that pulled them back within two points. LeBron (31 points), Rajon Rondo (11 assists) and Moe Wagner (11 points) all had their hands in this rally, yet it was the duo from the South Bay that provided some much needed energy. Call them scrappy. Call them G Leaguers. Either way, there’s no denying that @Iam_J3 and @ACFresh21 showed last night that they belong. pic.twitter.com/q2sdrigTMs — South Bay Lakers (@SouthBayLakers) March 7, 2019 2) Rondo’s looking for a repeat The Lakers’ previous meeting with the dreaded Celtics finished with the shot of the season, as Rondo tracked down a loose rebound and quickly found the net for the first buzzer-beater of his career. It was all the more special for Rondo — a four-time all-star and 2008 champion with the Celtics — to win in Boston considering the impact he had for the other side of the rivalry, including two NBA Finals matchups. Rondo has been back in the starting lineup over the Lakers’ last five games, and while he hasn’t shot efficiently, he’s averaging 12.6 points, 10.4 assists and 7.2 rebounds during this stretch. These last five also include a triple-double and games with season-highs in points (24) and assists (16), yet team success hasn’t followed, as L.A. is looking to snap a season-long four-game losing streak. 3) Momentum is shifting in Boston’s direction The Celtics seemed to be in some turmoil after losing four straight to end February. But they seem to have gotten back on path, having won three of their last four. One of these victories was a 33-point steamroller over the two-time champion Warriors. And their last triumph came on a Gordon Hayward winner with two seconds left. The Celtics have never wanted for talent, boasting the league’s shiftiest ball handler, Kyrie Irving, and a game-plan-wrecking big man, Al Horford, among others. Boston may be currently fifth in the East, but their potential is much greater than that, as they have outscored their opponents by 5.6 points per game — third-best in the entire league. Injury Report Lakers: Brandon Ingram (right shoulder soreness), Kyle Kuzma (right ankles sprain) and Lance Stephenson (left foot, second toe sprain) are questionable. Lonzo Ball (left ankle sprain) and Tyson Chandler (neck stiffness) are out. Celtics: R.J. Hunter and P.J. Dozier are on G League assignment. Tip-Off: 5:30 p.m. PT TV: ABC Radio: 710 ESPN and 1330 KWKW Unis: Gold Icon Location: STAPLES Center — Los Angeles, California