"The amount of talent that was not available to play in Friday night's Celtics-Lakers matchup was staggering. There was no LeBron James. No Jayson Tatum. No Luka Doncic. Even Marcus Smart was ruled out for what would have been his first game back in Boston as a rival Laker. This was a nationally-televised Friday night contest between two legendary franchises who are in the top-5 of their respective conferences."
"Before the game, the Celtics attempted to give the matchup some juice, calling it the "next chapter in the association's greatest rivalry" in a post on X. It was certainly a pricey ticket for fans. But, outside of Jaylen Brown, the all-stars associated with both franchises were absent, and a potentially juicy matchup became just another checkmark on the schedule."
Numerous star players missed the nationally televised Celtics-Lakers game, including LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, Luka Doncic and Marcus Smart. The Celtics jumped to a 39-17 lead and maintained control for a 126-105 victory. Jaylen Brown finished with 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. The matchup received prominent promotion as the "next chapter in the association's greatest rivalry," yet most all-stars were absent and the game felt like a routine win. Injuries and personal reasons sidelined key players, and Payton Pritchard said the absences did not remove the team's focus on securing the win.
Read at Boston.com
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