JJ Redick’s probably wishing everyone would talk about LeBron’s 10+ point streak now. After that streak ended, LeBron James took the next day off to manage his sciatica. So the Lakers were down James, Luka Doncic, and Marcus Smart against the Boston Celtics. That turned out about as well as anyone expected. No Doncic-less miracle that overthrew the Raptors yesterday. The Lakers lost 126-105 to the Celtics.

After the game, JJ Redick was sorely missing his star lineup. He hinted that Luka Doncic will be back for the next game against the 76ers. Reporters asked if that’s the case for LeBron James too.

“The hope for all the guys would be that they’re available Sunday. That’s the hope for everybody,” Redick said.

That’s not a confirmation. But it’s something.

LeBron James is resting on the second day of a back-to-back set for issues stemming from his sciatica condition that sidelined him for the first month of the 2025-26 season. Other than the sciatica, he’s also dealing with arthritic issues in his left foot.

James previously revealed he was not pain-free from the arthritis. When he’s not trolled, the Internet is concerned about the condition apparently hampering him during games. Like when he was struggling just to get the 10 points against Phoenix and when he was held at eight points against the Raptors.

Without Bron and Luka, Austin Reaves once again carried the charge. He had an impressive 36 points, supported by Gabe Vincent’s 18. Rui Hachimura had 13 points. However, with the rest of the team not scoring more than 6 points individually, the Lakers lost by 21 points.

So you know Redick doesn’t want a repeat of that.

JJ Redick’s handling of LeBron and Luka’s absence hurts LakeShow

From the Raptors game to the Celtics pre-game presser, JJ Redick was done talking about LeBron James’ point streak. But it’s hard to separate James’ injury status from his apparent struggles to keep his scoring streak alive.

After a one-game absence, James looked sluggish against Phoenix. Dillon Brooks was figuratively running circles around him and taunting him. Most thought the streak was going to end in that game when James was stuck at six points. He remained in the game long enough to bring the tally to 10 in the fourth quarter at the cost of the Lakers’ loss.

It was almost expected to go similarly against the Raptors’ young core. But James showed a more selfless kind of play, tallying 11 assists. The last one was to Rui Hachimura to make the buzzer-beater that won them the game.

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Doncic was absent from this game as his fiancee gave birth to their second child. That understandably got him sideilned tonight against the Celtics. And it’s not really confirmed if he’d be back on Sunday against the 76ers either.

Austin Reaves is once again stepping up as the first option in Doncic’s absence. He was doing great for over 30 minutes. But Redick benched him and put Gabe Vincent in the game. That decision has grossly upsetted fans.

He’s now the fan-annointed backup leader after Luka where previously King James would’ve been expected to be that voice. So fans are a little mad at Redick for his decisions in Luka and LeBron’s absence.

The next game is expected to be more redemptive for Redick than it’s for the team if James and Doncic are back in the lineup. Because the 76ers, who’ve easily beat the superstar-less Bucks and Warriors, are not to be underestimated.