On Friday, Lonzo Ball will be back in the lineup for the Los Angeles Lakers. However, he will be on a minutes restriction.
The Los Angeles Lakers will be back in action on Friday night against the Dallas Mavericks, and they will have their starting point guard back.
Coming into the All-Star break, the Lakers were not playing very well, as they lost three straight games to the Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, and Minnesota Timberwolves. Since they were playing well before that three-game losing streak, some thought that the Lakers might be able to sneak into the playoff picture.
However, losses to a poor team in the Mavericks and then two playoff contenders certainly set the Lakers back. Now, the playoffs look a bit unlikely, but there is still a lot to play for. With a talented young core, the Lakers are going to try and continue to develop their young players and also get some more wins.
On Friday night, the Lakers will be getting a boost, as Lonzo Ball will be returning to the lineup.
Lonzo will be on a minutes restriction tonight and will not play tomorrow in Sacramento, Walton said.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) February 23, 2018
Ball has missed the last 15 games with an MCL sprain but will be back on Friday night on a minutes restriction. Seeing the Lakers being careful with Ball should come as no surprise. Since he is one of the key players in their future, they aren’t going to push him.
In addition to being on a minutes restriction against the Mavericks, Ball has already been announced out for the game against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday. This is likely to see how his knee responds to his first game back and is a common thing to see in the NBA these days.
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Ball has had a pretty solid rookie season considering he has missed a good amount of time due to injuries. With 25 games to go, Ball will be attempting to stay healthy and finish the season strong. A good end to this season could be a big momentum boost for Ball heading into his second season.