The Los Angeles Lakers were back on the practice court Wednesday and they did so with a considerably healthier group than the one they had before the All-Star break. However, one key piece is still missing.
After more than a week off, shooting guard Josh Hart has been upgraded to probable for Thursday’s game against the Houston Rockets after missing the last few games before the All-Star road trip with a sore knee. In addition to Hart, Mike Muscala is expected to play, according to Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times.
Starting point guard Lonzo Ball, however, has yet to practice.
The Lakers have been without Ball since Jan. 19, when he injured his ankle in the Lakers’ loss to the Rockets. The Lakers announced a timeline of recovery for Ball of 4-6 weeks, with Ball currently entering week five.
Ball or not, the Lakers have quite the task ahead as they look to squeak into the playoffs. They’re currently three games behind the 8th-place Los Angeles Clippers. But LeBron James is hinting that he might turn things up to will the Lakers back to the postseason.
