Larry Nance, Jr. 'probably' playing vs. Mavericks, Julius Randle returning to bench

After he missed the last four games due to a knee injury, Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott announced that Larry Nance, Jr. would 'probably' make his return to the active lineup when the team hosts the Dallas Mavericks at Staples Center on Tuesday. Julius Randle had been starting in Nance Jr.'s place, averaging 10.3 points and 11.5 rebounds per game in his four game stint with the starters.

Randle was doing yeoman's work on the glass as well in his four starts, grabbing an impressive 37.1% of all defensive rebounds while he was on the court and 23.1% of all available rebounds, both numbers higher than his season averages of 31.2% and 19.5%, respectively. However, the production was not translating in to wins, with the Lakers losing all four of those games amidst a six game losing streak overall, so Scott will go back to the lineup he had used previously rather than moving Nance, Jr. back to the bench.

Nance, Jr., who participated in scrimmages for the first time since his injury, may have given Scott the confidence that he is ready to play during that portion of the Lakers' practice:

Larry Nance Jr. said his right knee feels 100% right now. He also dunked over Tarik Black today, which helped his case for playing tomorrow

— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) January 25, 2016

Additionally on the Lakers injury list was Ryan Kelly, who is suffering from gastroenteritis and is questionable for Tuesday.

All stats per NBA.com. You can follow this author on Twitter at @hmfaigen.