The Los Angeles Lakers are all but officially out of the playoffs, but that's not an excuse for them to play lethargic against the Boston Celtics. In fact, LeBron James and Rajon Rondo are trying to go ShowTime mode early.

Here's the duo getting back-to-back highlight plays during the first quarter.

The Lakers don't seem to have much problem in this game despite losing Brandon Ingram for the remainder of the season due to a blood clot in his arm. Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball are also sidelined due to various injuries.

Article Continues Below
More Los Angeles Lakers News
LeBron James, Stephen (Steph) Curry, who may be heading to an ESPN NBA broadcasting booth after they retire, after Lakers-Warriors game on December 25, 2024.
ESPN has ‘hopeful’ LeBron James, Stephen Curry wishAndrew Korpan ·
Chris Paul rescinded NBA trade Lakers Hornets
NBA news: Chris Paul shuts down Hornets-Lakers trade conspiracyJulian Ojeda ·
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) during the fourth quarter.
Luka Doncic’s offseason body transformation has Lakers fans hypedJedd Pagaduan ·
Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal stands next to Kobe Bryant with GOAT signs in background
Shaquille O’Neal has no regrets over treatment of Kobe BryantRandall Barnes ·
image thumbnail
NBA rumors: Lakers’ Austin Reaves trade strategy as 2 center targets emergeErik Slater ·
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) controls the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena.
Lakers’ LeBron James dumps fuel on Brian Windhorst feud with calloutMalik Brown ·

When both teams faced each other back in January, the Lakers trailed by as much as 20 in the first half before they stormed back to win the game on a buzzer-beating shot by Rondo. However, Ingram and Kuzma played in that game.

The Lakers are currently on a five-game losing streak and are already 6.5 games behind the eighth-seeded LA Clippers.

This has been a very disappointing season so far for the Purple and Gold, but fans would always want — or rather demand — them -to beat the Celtics whether they are championship contenders or draft-lottery bound.

The Celtics, on the other hand, remain one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. They are currently on a four-game California road trip that already saw them beat the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings.