The Lakers have been beaten up all season, losing players like Jordan Hill and Steve Nash for extended periods of time. Recently it’s been Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant that have been sidelined, Gasol with a foot injury and Bryant with a sprained ankle. But they might both be nearing their return.
[GET $5 FREE WHEN YOU ENTER EARLY FOR SPORTSBOOK’S $100,000 BRACKET CHALLENGE]According to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com, Mike D’Antoni is hoping that Bryant and Gasol will both be back in action on Friday night against the Washington Wizards.
Mike D’Antoni: “Hopefully Kobe and Pau will play Friday.” Gasol is playing 5 on 5 right now. Kobe didn’t practice. twitter.com/LakersReporter…
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 20, 2013
Bryant returning on Friday isn’t much of a surprise, but it would be a bit shocking to see Gasol on the court this upcoming Friday. Remember, just recently it was expected he would be out at least two more weeks. But as Trudell also mentioned, D’Antoni’s “hopeful” quote should be taken very literally. The team is still waiting to see how Gasol responds to treatment and on-court action in practice.
Regardless, the news that both Bryant and Gasol are nearing their respective returns is great news for Los Angeles, who is in the midst of a heated playoff positioning battle with several Western Conference teams.