Lakers injury updates: LeBron James, Anthony Davis both in starting lineup Friday vs. Pelicans

L.A. is fighting for its play-in life, and will have its two stars in action for a crucial game on Friday

LeBron James and Anthony Davis will both be back in the starting lineup for the 11th-place Los Angeles Lakers when they host the ninth-place New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. Davis was cleared for game action a few hours before tip-off, while James tested his injured ankle before making the decision to suit up.  

James had missed three of the Lakers' last four games prior to Friday night. He didn't play against the Philadelphia 76ers last Wednesday because of left knee soreness, and he sat out against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday and Utah Jazz on Thursday with a sprained left ankle. 

Davis hasn't played since suffering a mid-foot sprain on Feb. 16 in Los Angeles' last game before the All-Star break. He has appeared in 37 games this season. In related news, the Lakers entered Friday night at 31-45, the same record as the San Antonio Spurs, who held the final play-in spot in the Western Conference due to a tiebreaker over the Lakers. New Orleans is 33-43 and has won three of its last four games.

Los Angeles is coming off a 122-109 loss to the Jazz on Thursday. It has lost five out of its last six games and 17 of its last 22. 

With Davis and James set to return, the duo will have six games to try to find a rhythm before the play-in. After the Pelicans game, Los Angeles will host Denver, visit Phoenix, visit Golden State, host Oklahoma City (on the second night of a back-to-back), and visit Denver.  

The Spurs, meanwhile, will host the Blazers twice, then visit Denver, visit Minnesota, host Golden State and visit Dallas. 

San Antonio and the Lakers split their season series, and the Spurs hold the tiebreaker because they have a better record against Western Conference teams, as noted in Brad Botkin's daily Playoff Picture. For James and Davis, these are desperate times.