The Lakers have been limited by injuries to their superstars for months, but barring any additional setbacks, the defending champions could be getting healthy at just the right time with only four games remaining in the regular season.
Anthony Davis returned from his long absence on April 22nd, and has recently looked like the All-NBA caliber interior force that helped lead the Lakers to a title last season. Davis recently scored 36 points on a loss to the Blazers, and on Sunday he scored 42 in a win over the Suns.
A sprained ankle suffered on Mar. 20 has kept LeBron James largely out of action over the last month and a half. James returned on Apr. 30 against the Kings and experienced ankle soreness during the game, and after a second start against the Raptors a few days later, the Lakers kept James out of the lineup to focus on recovery. Worryingly, James said that he believes he’ll never get back to 100 percent, which isn’t the sort of thing you want to hear from your MVP candidate right before a playoff run.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, James is almost game-ready. Charania tweeted on Monday morning that James is expected to return on Tuesday against the Knicks, or Wednesday against the Houston Rockets.
Lakers star LeBron James is targeting Tuesday vs. New York for return to the lineup from sore right ankle, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. If not Tuesday, Wednesday vs. Houston is possible.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 10, 2021
[vertical-gallery id=39339]
[mm-video type=video id=01f53j1t57tfwjph6j4g playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f53j1t57tfwjph6j4g/01f53j1t57tfwjph6j4g-75731d700b804e283322a1ecf1d8d46e.jpg]