LOS ANGELES — Starting forwards LeBron James and Rui Hachimura will return to the floor tonight against the Chicago Bulls.
LeBron James remained a gametime decision as of an hour before tipoff before being upgraded to available.
The 40-year-old four-time MVP missed the previous seven games because of a strained left groin injury he suffered late in the March 8 road loss to the Boston Celtics.
James averaged 25 points (51.7% from the field, 38.4% on 3-pointers), 8.5 assists and 8.2 rebounds in 58 games of 62 games before missing time because of the groin ailment. He and Denver Nuggets reigning MVP center Nikola Jokic are the only players averaging at least 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Hachimura missed 12 consecutive games of left patellar tendinopathy.
He hasn’t played since the Feb. 27 home win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Hachimura averaged 13.3 points (50.6% from the field, 41% on 3s) and 5.2 rebounds in 50 games (all starts).
The Lakers went 7-5 without Hachimura and 3-4 without James.
This included a 3-3 stretch of six games in eight days that concluded with Thursday’s blowout loss to the Milwaukee Bucks – a game Luka Doncic (sprained right ankle), Austin Reaves (sprained right ankle), Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle injury management) and Jarred Vanderbilt (strained right groin) also were unavailable for.
Doncic, Reaves, Finney-Smith and Vanderbilt are available against the Bulls after being listed as probable for the matchup, which is the final game of a five-game homestand before a four-game trip that starts against the Orlando Magic on Monday.
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