Lakers injury update: LeBron James and Anthony Davis both ruled out tonight vs. Celtics

Amid ongoing trade rumors and rumblings about head coach Darvin Ham potentially being on the outs, the Los Angeles Lakers will be without their two superstar players tonight when they travel to TD Garden to face the Boston Celtics.

Per ESPN’s Senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been ruled out ahead of tonight’s contest against the Celtics. According to the NBA’s official injury report, James is dealing with peroneal tendinopathy in his left ankle, while Davis is tending to bilateral Achilles tendinopathy and a left hip spasm.

Los Angeles Lakers rule out LeBron James and Anthony Davis

King James has been dealing with and monitoring an ankle injury for weeks, but the Lakers are doing their best to manage the injury by giving their 39-year-old superstar the night off after playing in both games of a back-to-back set earlier this week.

Davis sat out the second half of the back-to-back against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday and will now miss his second consecutive game. Jaxson Hayes entered the starting lineup sans Davis against the Hawks and will potentially be doing so again, barring any lineup changes.

Combined, James and Davis are averaging 49.8 points, 19.6 rebounds, 11.4 assists, 2.5 steals, and 2.9 blocks per game this season, meaning the Lakers will need to find ways to fill the significant void left by their two best players.

There’s never a good time for your team’s two best players to sit out, but it’s especially critical when you face the Celtics, who boast the league’s best record (37-11). 

Sitting at 24-25 and in ninth place in the Western Conference, the Lakers need at least one of James or Davis to be healthy to remain competitive, but they also need to have a sense of urgency. But against the best team in the league, neither will be on the court.