OKLAHOMA CITY _ Veteran point guard Jose Calderon is expected to make his regular-season debut with the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Lakers Coach Luke Walton said. The team also is optimistic about rookie forward Brandon Ingram, who experienced knee pain in Friday's game at Utah.
He was considered likely to play Sunday after an MRI exam of his right knee on Saturday revealed no structural damage. Both he and Calderon participated in the Lakers' Saturday practice at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City.
"Once he cools down, it might be different, but he said he feels good," Walton said of Ingram. "If the trainers and doctors tell you he's fine, you can play him. If he's out there limping around, it goes back on me to take him out of the game. If he's clear, said to be healthy, there's no reason to keep him out."
Ingram entered Friday night's game against the Utah Jazz with 4:41 left in the first quarter. He briefly left the game 51 seconds later. Ingram was examined, fitted with a sleeve over his right knee and cleared to return, which he did with 9:16 left in the second quarter. Just slightly longer than three minutes later, Ingram left the game for good.
Ingram described the issue as tendinitis and "nothing really serious."
"I think it was better to be cautious about it and just come back and try to run on it again," Ingram said. "I just felt like I needed to be out."
As for Calderon, he missed the Lakers' first two games despite returning to practice Thursday.
"It wasn't really that hard of a practice," Walton said. "So we wanted to get a more up-and-down type of practice in. ... A day or two more. He said he felt good again today."
