BOSTON (AP) — LeBron James and Luka Doncic are both out for the Los Angeles Lakers' matchup with the Boston Celtics on Friday night.
James is sitting with sciatica, which kept him sidelined for the first 14 games this season, and left foot joint arthritis. Doncic is out for the second straight game for personal reasons. Marcus Smart is also out with with a muscle strain in his back.
Lakers coach JJ Redick said prior to the game that Doncic will return soon and didn't rule out the possibility he could be back for their game at Philadelphia on Sunday
James, who will turn 41 on Dec. 30, played 36 minutes in the Lakers' 123-120 win over Toronto on Thursday night. The game saw the end of James' streak of 1,297 consecutive double-digit scoring games when the NBA’s career points leader finished with only eight points.
The Lakers come in winners of eight of their last nine games.
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, left, passes the ball while under pressure from Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James, left, is guarded by Toronto Raptors' Scottie Barnes (4) during second-half NBA basketball game action in Toronto, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
COTONOU, Benin (AP) — A coup that was announced in Benin on Sunday has been “foiled,” the interior minister said in a video on Facebook.
“In the early morning of Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, a small group of soldiers launched a mutiny with the aim of destabilizing the state and its institutions,” Alassane Seidou said. “Faced with this situation, the Beninese Armed Forces and their leadership, true to their oath, remained committed to the republic.”
Earlier, a group of soldiers had appeared on Benin ’s state TV Sunday to announce the dissolution of the government in an apparent coup, the latest of many in West Africa.
The group, which called itself the Military Committee for Refoundation, announced the removal of the president and all state institutions. Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri was appointed president of the military committee, the soldiers said.
Following its independence from France in 1960, the West African nation witnessed multiple coups, especially in the decades following its independence. Since 1991, the country has been politically stable following the two-decade rule of Marxist-Leninist Mathieu Kérékou.
There has been no official news about President Patrice Talon since gunshots were heard around the presidential residence. However, the signal to the state television and public radio which was cut off has now been restored.
The regional bloc, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), condemned the short-lived coup in a statement.
“ECOWAS strongly condemns this unconstitutional move that represents a subversion of the will of the people of Benin. ... ECOWAS will support the Government and the people in all forms necessary to defend the Constitution and the territorial integrity of Benin,” the bloc said in a statement.
Talon has been in power since 2016 and was due to step down next April after the presidential election.
Talon’s party pick, former Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is the favorite to win the election. Opposition candidate Renaud Agbodjo was rejected by the electoral commission on the grounds that he did not have sufficient sponsors.
In January, two associates of Talon were sentenced to 20 years in prison for an alleged 2024 coup plot.
Last month, the country’s legislature extended the presidential term of office from five to seven years, keeping the term limit at two.
The coup is the latest in a string of military takeovers that have rocked West Africa. Last month, a military coup in Guinea-Bissau removed former President Umaro Embalo after a contested election in which both he and the opposition candidate declared themselves winners.
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Adetayo reported from Lagos, Nigeria.
FILE - Benin's President Patrice Talon attends a meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at Planalto presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on May 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)
