LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis says he will return from a nine-week absence Thursday against the Dallas Mavericks, as long as his right leg responds well to Wednesday’s practice.
Davis said he now feels “100 percent” healthy due to calf distension and tendinosis in his right leg, but detailed the moments of fear after the injury occurred.
“I never tore an Achilles tendon, but I felt like a sharp pain, like a sprain, that I had never felt before,” Davis said. “… Then I knew it was a serious thing. It wasn’t as serious as it could have been, but nonetheless it was a pretty significant injury.”
Lakers coach Frank Vogel said Davis will start against the Mavericks and that his playing time will be limited to the 15-minute streak during the first two games he plays.
Davis said Lebron James, sidelined by a right ankle sprain over the past month, still “probably needs a couple of weeks” before joining him in the lineup.
The Lakers have a 14-16 record since Davis was sidelined on Feb. 14, falling from No. 2 to No. 5 in the Western Conference classification.
“It will be my job to try to help the team keep up until he too comes back and keeps fighting,” Davis said. “But this team has done more than we can ask for.”