The Los Angeles Lakers’ road trip got off to a good start when they beаt the Golden State Warriors in double OT. However, they then lost badly to the Houston Rockets and the Atlanta Hawks.

The Lakers have had more bad luck than good luck over the last month, so don’t expect a lot when they play the Boston Celtics on Thursday night as part of their road trip. Los Angeles also took LeBron James and Anthony Davis out of the game against Boston, which made things even worse.

But when the purple and gold beаt the Celtics 114–105, it shocked the league and was their biggest win of the 2023–24 season. Boston has the best record in the NBA, so a win didn’t seem likely even when they were at full strength. To do it without James and Davis is even more amazing.

Before the game, head coach Darvin Ham told Spectrum SportsNet that James and Davis would not be able to play because they have been dealing with illnesses all season.

“Primarily those two guys with two active injuries that we’ve been taking care of all year,” Ham said. “They got a little red, but we wаnted to let them shoot around to see how it was. In the end, we decided that they would be out for tonight.”

James couldn’t play because his left ankle hurt, and Davis missed his second straight game because of both Achilles tendinopathy and pаin in his left hip. It looks like James hurt his left ankle in the game against Atlanta. He has already had a few sprains this season. At the same time, Davis was clearly having a hard time against Houston, so his team thought it was time for him to rest.

During the regular season, the star pair had to carry the team on both ends of the court. But finally, the rest of the team stepped up and played their best team basketball to date. The Laker role players did all the little things on the court to beаt the Celtics when James and Davis weren’t there.

LA showed they can play with the league’s best teams, but they need to keep up that level of effort and energy when James and Davis are healthy.

Anthony Davis of the Lakers was named a substitute for the 2024 All-Star Game.

Davis was not able to play against the Celtics, but he was still honored before the game when he was named a substitute for the 2024 All-Star Game in Indianapolis.