The Los Angeles Lakers welcomed LeBron James back to the lineup from injury on Saturday against the Chicago Bulls. The Lakers would lose, 146-115, and James looked a little bit rusty in his return to the court. That game ended what was a five-game homestand for the Lakers, and they now embark on the road for four games. The Lakers' road trip begins on Monday against the Orlando Magic, and LeBron James did appear on the team's injury report.
LeBron James was officially listed as probable on the Lakers' injury report for their game against the Magic, as per NBA insider Marc Stein.
James missed the Lakers' last seven games due to a groin injury he suffered during the team's loss to the Boston Celtics at the beginning of their most recent road trip. In his return to the court, James finished with 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals in 31 minutes of play. He shot 7-of-16 from the field, 1-of-2 from the three-point line and 2-of-5 from the free-throw line.
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In addition to James, the Lakers also welcomed Rui Hachimura back in the lineup after he had been out due to a knee injury. Following the loss, Lakers head coach JJ Redick admitted that both James and Hachimura were rusty from their time off.
“I don't know if we assumed because we had everybody back, that it was just going to be like it was three weeks ago, and that's just not the way this works,” Redick said. “I think the guys know that.”
Before James and Hachimura returned to the lineup, Redick acknowledged that the team won't have ample practice time to get them re-acclimated with the group due to the compressed schedule the Lakers have ahead of them. There are 12 games remaining in the regular season with the Lakers embroiled in a tough battle for playoff positioning in the Western Conference.
a]:text-link [&_>a]:underline">David Yapkowitz is a basketball journalist for ClutchPoints, writing news on the NBA, WNBA, and NCAA Basketball for both men and women. The Los Angeles native has bylines with Basketball Insiders, SB Nation, and The Next Hoops.