The Los Angeles Lakers are inching closer to star forward LeBron James’ return to the court.
James suffered an abdominal strain in the second win against the Houston Rockets. He has missed eight games in a row since.
After the Lakers lost to the Chicago Bulls Monday, an ESPN report revealed L.A. was optimistic James would return to the floor Friday against the Boston Celtics.
Now, after the Lakers fell to the Milwaukee Bucks, Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported James’ status could go either way for Friday’s contest:
While Lakers coach Frank Vogel said James is “day to day,” sources close to James told ESPN that there is a “50-50” chance he will be back in the lineup at the TD Garden.
LeBron worked out prior to the Milwaukee game but still had to test out his abdominal area, McMenamin observed:
James went through an on-court workout before Wednesday’s game, with Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy putting him through ball-handling and shooting drills. James, who turns 37 next month, paused the workout on a handful of occasions to crouch down in what appeared to be an attempt to stretch out his abdomen.
