Lakers: LeBron James Could Return Tonight Against the Knicks

The Lakers will take on the Knicks tonight at Crypto.com Arena. Los Angeles will be looking to get back into the win column after a really tough loss to the

The Lakers will take on the Knicks tonight at Crypto.com Arena. Los Angeles will be looking to get back into the win column after a really tough loss to the Clippers on Thursday night when Anthony Davis' final shot did not go down. 

It's been a tough stretch of games for the Lakers, but even more so since LeBron James has been out of the lineup. James has sat out since January 27th with knee soreness and some swelling. Up until today, there had been no signs of progress.

But the latest report from ESPN's Dave McMenamin is that LBJ could actually play tonight. He will go through a pregame warmup with the Lakers before the team decides if he can play without aggravating his knee. 

LeBron James, who has missed the Lakers last five games with swelling in his left knee, could return tonight against the New York Knicks (8:30 pm PT, ABC), sources told ESPN. James will go through a pregame warmup to determine if he is ready to return, sources said.

Getting James back into the lineup would be huge, even if he is limited. The Lakers have gone 1-4 in the 5 games that Bron has missed over these past two weeks. They're desperately missing his offensive output and ability to help fill up the lane with AD. 

In the month of January alone, James was playing on another planet. The 37-year-old was averaging 30.3 points per game and 8.1 rebounds along with 5.5 assists. He helped fill the gaps when Davis was down with the knee injury, and the pair have played just one game together since his return. 

In that one game, Davis scored just 8 points and LBJ put up a 33 spot to beat the Nets. The Lakers will also be without Carmelo Anthony tonight as he recovers from a hamstring injury sustained in the loss on Thursday.