Lakers Play Celtics at Forum Tonight; Bucks, Spurs Also in Tournament

Having flown home all day Sunday and rested Monday, the Lakers will try to spring back into action tonight, playing host to Boston in the annual Forum pro exhibition.

San Antonio will meet Milwaukee in the first game at 5 p.m. The Lakers and Celtics will play at 8. Wednesday, the winners will be matched up in one game and the losers in the other.

The Lakers are 3-1 in exhibitions. They split two games with the Celtics in Boston and Worcester, Mass., then defeated the French and Spanish champions in Paris.

Mike Dunleavy was obliged to play three starters 35 minutes and went only 10 deep in the 116-114 victory over Joventut Badalona, after which Magic Johnson called the Lakers “a tired team right now.”

Having 16 players, Dunleavy is expected to make more extensive use of his bench. Eleven spots are all but spoken for; the 12th is up for grabs among Irving Thomas and rookies Tony Farmer, Keith Owens and Anthony Jones.