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After missing nearly a month nursing a sore groin, Brandon Ingram will finally be making his return for the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks, according to Spectrum SportsNet’s Mike Bresnahan. Per Luke Walton, Ingram will be on a minutes restriction.
Brandon Ingram is expected to play tonight vs. Dallas. He has missed almost four weeks because of a strained groin.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) March 28, 2018
Brandon Ingram will play on a minutes restriction tonight.
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) March 28, 2018
With the news that Isaiah Thomas will miss the remainder of the season after deciding to undergo surgery on his right hip, the news of Ingram’s return could not have come at a better time. Not only can he spend some time at the point guard position, but having him out on the wing allows players like Kyle Kuzma to return to their natural positions.
Ingram will hope to build on what was his best month in a Lakers uniform before he went down with an injury. In 10 games in February, Ingram averaged 18.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 blocks while making over half of his three-point attempts.
The Lakers have nine games left in the regular season to rediscover their form from earlier this year. While playoffs are officially out of reach, a season with at least 41 wins, something they haven’t done in five years, is not.
If Ingram can pick up where he left off, it should be smooth sailing for the Lakers from here on out.