LeBron James could reportedly return next week, Anthony Davis has minutes restriction raised

The Los Angeles Lakers have spent the last several weeks just trying to stay afloat without their star tandem of Anthony Davis and LeBron James in the lineup, and on Saturday, they got good news on both players.

Prior to the Lakers’ game that night, head coach Frank Vogel said that Davis would have his minutes restriction raised to 25 minutes for the team’s rematch with the Dallas Mavericks. Davis had previously been limited to just 15 first-half minutes in is first game back.

“He responded well, there is no soreness,” Vogel said, echoing Davis’ comments that he felt fine in his return to the lineup.

Vogel himself didn’t say anything about James, as the team has been mum on details regarding his weeks-long rehab from a high-ankle sprain, but Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported on “NBA Countdown” that James is getting closer to a return of his own.

“(Davis’ minutes restriction will) start ramping up as we get closer to LeBron James’ return, which could be as soon as the following week,” Wojnarowski said (h/t Lakers Daily).

After their game against the Mavericks on Saturday, the Lakers will only have 12 games left before the postseason, meaning that if James were to return from his high ankle sprain next week, their upcoming three-game homestand starting on April 30 could make a lot of sense for him to get back on the court in that window, which would leave James with about 10 games to get his legs back under him before the postseason begins. That’s obviously not ideal, but it’s better than the alternative of him missing even longer and getting even less time.

And as the perpetually brash Dennis Schröder said the other night, as long as the Lakers are healthy, “in a seven-game series, I’d put my money on us.” Same, Dennis, same, and it seems like L.A. might finally be getting closer to making full health a reality.

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