Lakers Get Good News on Marcus Smart Injury
The Los Angeles Lakers may finally get some relief from their mounting injury list.
Aside from Luka Dončić, the Lakers could also welcome back veteran guard Marcus Smart, who has missed the last two games with a quadriceps injury.
According to the latest official NBA injury report, both Dončić and Smart have been upgraded to questionable ahead of the Lakers’ Friday road matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Lakers have split their last two games without Smart, who remains one of the team’s defensive anchors and vocal leaders.
Smart’s Impact Goes Beyond the Box Score
GettyMarcus Smart’s impact for the Los Angeles Lakers goes beyond the traditional box score stats.
Smart, the 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, is averaging 7.7 points, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 43.8% from the field in limited action this season.
Before his injury, Smart logged 11 points and five assists in the Lakers’ 127–120 win over the Sacramento Kings — the same game in which Austin Reaves erupted for a career-high 51 points.
Even with modest offensive numbers, Smart has been one of the Lakers’ most efficient contributors.
According to Statmuse, he leads the team in plus-minus at +33, meaning Los Angeles has outscored opponents by 33 points when he’s been on the floor.
“I try not to look at the stats,” Smart said after the Lakers’ first win of the season. “Those stats aren’t going to do me any justice. I just try to go out there and do what I’m supposed to do, help my teammates out the best way I can. Being plus-24 is great, but that just shows the impact that can be made.”
Smart’s toughness and communication have been instrumental in stabilizing the Lakers’ defense — especially with LeBron James sidelined due to sciatica and Dončić nursing a sprained left finger and lower leg contusion.
Potential Backcourt Reinforcements vs. Grizzlies
If both Dončić and Smart are cleared, head coach JJ Redick will have his most complete backcourt rotation of the young season — a timely boost as they face
The Lakers are +2.5 underdogs at BetUS, the best US online sportsbook, according to videogamer.com.
Smart’s likely matchup with former Laker Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will also be a storyline to watch. The two play similar defensive roles for their teams, though Caldwell-Pope has been the more reliable scorer early in the season.
The Lakers will still be without James, Gabe Vincent (left ankle sprain), Maxi Kleber (abdominal strain), and rookie Adou Thiero (knee surgery recovery).
Austin Reaves’ Historic Run Keeps Lakers Afloat
During the injury wave, Reaves has transformed from a promising role player to a breakout star.
The undrafted Arkansas native — now averaging 40.0 points and 10.0 assists over his last three games — capped his meteoric week with a buzzer-beating floater to lift the Lakers over the
Reaves’ latest performance included 28 points and 16 assists, tying a career-high and cementing his place in Lakers history. He became the only third Laker
James and Dončić, watching from home, reacted instantly to his game-winner.
“A-MUTHAF*IN-R!!!!!!!!!!!!!**,” James wrote on X, tagging Reaves by his nickname “AR.”
Moments later, Dončić tweeted with a single emoji — “🐐” — the universal symbol for “Greatest of All Time.”
Lakers Eye Momentum Shift
With Dončić and Smart nearing a return, the Lakers (3–2) are poised to regain balance on both ends of the floor.
Reaves’ heroics have kept the team above .500, but the return of two key players could finally restore the team’s full identity.
If Smart’s defensive energy and Dončić’s playmaking return to the fold, Redick’s Lakers could quickly shift from surviving injuries to making a push toward the top of the Western Conference standings.
Ex-Celtics Guard Hires Trump Lawyer to Fight NBA Gambling Charges
Former Boston Celtics guard and Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups has hired one of the nation’s most prominent defense attorneys to battle federal gambling charges that have rocked the NBA — and tied three former Celtics to the league’s biggest integrity scandal in years.
According to The Athletic, Billups has hired Marc Mukasey, a high-profile trial lawyer who has represented former U.S. President Donald Trump, to handle his defense against wire-fraud and money-laundering conspiracy charges.
Billups Turns to Prominent White-Collar Defense Attorney
Mukasey, a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York and the son of ex-U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, is widely regarded as one of America’s top courtroom strategists in financial and corporate cases.
According to The Athletic report, Mukasey previously defended Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, who was acquitted of murder in 2019, and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried during sentencing in his multibillion-dollar fraud case. Mukasey also served as a legal adviser to Rudy Giuliani’s 2007 presidential campaign and represented Joe Sanberg, co-founder of fintech firm Aspiration, in an NBA-related salary-cap case involving Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers. Sanberg later pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud after admitting to defrauding investors of $248 million.
Now, Mukasey is representing Billups — the 2004 NBA Finals MVP and current Portland Trail Blazers head coach — as he faces potentially career-defining criminal charges.
Federal Allegations and Celtics Connection
In the indictments reviewed by
The 49-year-old coach, arrested in Oregon, has been placed on administrative leave by the Trail Blazers while the case proceeds. His former attorney, Chris Heywood, said last week that Billups “would not jeopardize” his Hall-of-Fame legacy, his reputation and freedom.
Two other former Celtics — Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player Damon Jones — are also implicated in the widening probe. Prosecutors allege Rozier shared private injury information with a friend who then profited from insider bets, while Jones allegedly helped facilitate the illegal gambling ring.
From Boston Lottery Pick to Hall of Fame Player
Getty 25 Jun 1997: Guard Chauncey Billups of the Boston Celtics shakes hands with NBA Commissioner David Stern during the NBA Draft at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Billups began his NBA career in Boston, drafted third overall by the Celtics in 1997, before going on to win a championship with the Detroit Pistons and earning the nickname “Mr. Big Shot.” He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield in 2024, a crowning moment for one of the league’s most respected figures.
Rozier, beloved by Celtics fans from 2015 to 2019, helped Boston reach the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals, while Jones had a brief stint with the franchise during the 1998–99 season. Their shared ties to Boston have given the scandal an unsettling familiarity for local fans.
Badminton Betting Ban Mirrors NBA Investigation
The NBA’s ongoing gambling scandal comes as other global sports face similar integrity challenges. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) recently banned former Danish player and coach Joachim Persson for four years after he was filmed placing live bets courtside during a 2023 Japan Open match, according to
The similarities between the two cases are striking. Both involve allegations that individuals used insider access and confidential information for betting purposes. The incidents highlight the mounting challenge of maintaining sports integrity amid the rapid expansion of legalized gambling worldwide.
A Hall-of-Fame Legacy Under Scrutiny
For Billups, who spent part of his formative NBA years in Boston, the charges threaten to overshadow a Hall-of-Fame career defined by leadership and professionalism.
If convicted, Billups could face up to 20 years in prison per count, along with the potential loss of his coaching position and damage to his legacy.
The NBA continues to cooperate with federal authorities as the investigation broadens — with Boston fans watching uneasily as three familiar names fight to protect their reputations.
