According to reports from The Athletic's Shams Charania and Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is planning to make his return from a sore right ankle on either Tuesday (ET) against the New York 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
As Haynes reported, James has had two "really good days of workouts at a high level" and "feels great" ahead of the final week of the NBA season.
James suffered a high ankle sprain back on March 20, causing him to miss 20 consecutive games over the course of a month. He returned to action on April 30 in the Lakers' loss to the Sacramento Kings, then played in the ensuing contest, a loss to the Toronto Raptors, where he reaggravated the injury.
James has since missed Los Angeles' last four games, but with the Play-In Tournament looming, the 17-time All-Star is set to make his return for the home stretch of the season.
LeBron is enjoying a strong season, averaging 25.0 points, 7.9 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
At the time of his injury, the Lakers were sitting comfortably in third place in the West with a 28-14 record. During his 20-game absence, the team went 8-12, dropping down to fifth place with only a two-game lead on the first Play-In Tournament seed.
They currently stand at 38-30, placing them seventh in the West, better known as the first spot in the Play-In Tournament. Los Angeles is 1.5 games back from the sixth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers with four games remaining to try and avoid the Play-In.
The Lakers have a favourable schedule remaining, hosting the Knicks and Rockets before travelling to take on the Indiana Pacers and New Orleans Pelicans to end the season.
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