LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Lakers’ forward LeBron James said there was no timetable for his return from the foot injury he suffered last month and refuted report that stated he was hoping to take the court again on April 5.
The Lakers are currently fighting for their playoff lives and, with nine games left, sit in 10th place in the Western Conference.
“There hasn’t been any target date for my return,” James tweeted according to Reuters.
“I’m just working around the clock, every day (3X a day) to give myself to best chance of coming back full strength whenever that is. God bless y’all sources. I speak for myself!”
An ESPN report citing sources said the future Hall of Famer was pushing to return for the Lakers’ final three games of season vs. Clippers, Suns and Jazz.
The Lakers have gone 7-5 since James suffered the injury during a come-from-behind win over the Dallas Mavericks 111-108 on Feb. 26.
James played 37 minutes, helping Lakers rally from a 27-point deficit. But he left the arena with a pronounced limp.
He leads the Lakers in scoring at 29.5 points per game, and said at the All-Star break earlier this month that the team’s closing stretch this season would be some of the most important games he has played — noting he didn’t want to miss the postseason for a second consecutive year.
The Lakers are in the throes of an intense, down-to-wire race with a half-dozen other teams for a playoff spot. They currently sit at No. 10 in the Western Conference.
Elsewhere, Markquis Nowell broke the NCAA Tournament record for assists in a game with 19, his last two on spectacular passes in the final minute of overtime, and Kansas State beat Michigan State 98-93 at Madison Square Garden.
Playing in his hometown and fighting through a second-half ankle injury, Nowell found Keyontae Johnson for a reverse with 58 seconds left in OT to give the Wildcats (26-9) the lead for good in this back-and-forth East Region semi-final.
He then threw an inbound pass to Ismael Massoud, who knocked down a jumper with 15 seconds left for a 96-93 lead.
With Michigan State needing a 3 to tie, Nowell stole the ball from the Spartans’ Tyson Walker and drove for a clinching layup at the buzzer.
The 5-foot-8, Harlem-raised Nowell finished with 20 points and five steals in a signature performance at basketball’s most famous arena.
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