The Los Angeles Lakers head into the second leg of their back-to-back tonight, facing their bitter rivals, the Boston Celtics. Just 24 hours ago, they edged out the Toronto Raptors in a thriller, capped by a sharp LeBron James assist to Rui Hachimura. But momentum met uncertainty quickly, as the franchise followed that win with a major announcement that puts LeBron’s availability for tonight in serious doubt.

“Lakers announce LeBron has been dealing with left foot joint arthritis in addition to his right sciatica. Bron is doubtful to play vs. the Celtics,” Bleacher Report wrote on X.

This could be a massive blow to Los Angeles, as they are set to miss the likes of Luka Doncic, too. The Slovenian is out due to personal reasons. Worse, Marcus Smart is also dealing with a left lumbar muscle strain. So, LeBron James’ absence will only further pile on the misery for the Lakers.

For LeBron, this can’t get worse. After sitting out for 14 games due to a sciatica injury, King lost the tag of playing in the opening game for the first time in two decades. And now, the Lakers star was expected to start fresh after a heartbreak in the last game of losing an incredible streak of reaching double figures in 1,297 games.

Despite struggling with injuries and playing only six games so far, James has been extremely important to his team whenever he’s been able to step on the court. Over the six games, the veteran forward has averaged 14 points along with 4.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists while shooting 41.3 percent from the field.

Meanwhile, even if James doesn’t suit up tonight, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise, as there has already been a lot of indication that he might not be playing in a lot of back-to-backs, with head coach JJ Redick suggesting that it’s completely on the superstar and how he feels about playing at such a high intensity.

By the looks of it, LeBron James is yet to return to his full fitness, as he recovers from his sciatica injury setback. Still, the Lakers will need to find a way to get a win tonight against the Celtics, which makes you think, how will they stand a chance against their opponents without James, and who will replace the forward if he doesn’t play tonight?

How will the Lakers fare without LeBron James? Who will replace him if he doesn’t play tonight?

Well, the Los Angeles Lakers have played plenty of basketball without LeBron James this season. In fact, they have been able to hold their own in his absence, boasting an 11-4 record. However, what’s noteworthy is that the backcourt duo of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves played a huge role in those games, something that won’t be the case tonight.

Doncic won’t be playing tonight due to personal reasons. So, it will be an uphill battle for the Purple and Gold tonight. More so, because it will be extremely hard for head coach JJ Redick to pick the perfect replacement for LeBron James, as well as Luka Doncic. While Nick Smith Jr. might start in the Slovenian’s place, finding the right guy to fill James will be tricky.

However, the most suitable man for the job could be 24-year-old Jake LaRavia. The young forward has been quite impressive this season. He’s averaging 9.2 points, 4 rebounds, 1.9 assists per game while shooting 47.4 from the field. Although these numbers might not be All-Star level, but are surely solid for someone as young as LaRavia.

So, even though the Lakers will no longer be favorites, which they certainly would’ve been with James and Doncic on their side, they can expect a result tonight. However, it won’t come easy at all, especially with Boston coming into this game with four wins in their last five games. So, it should be an interesting game tonight inside the infamous TD Garden in Boston.