Lakers' Jordan Clarkson: Will play Friday vs. Kings

Clarkson (knee) will play in Friday's game against the Kings, Mark Media of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Analysis:

Clarkson sustained a bruised knee in Wednesday's win over the Spurs that resulted in his early exit. He ended up sitting out Thursday's practice, but after Clarkson return to the court for morning shootaround Friday, the Lakers were satisfied enough with his health to clear him to play. Given that the Lakers have more to gain by losing games than winning them at this stage of the season, it's conceivable that coach Luke Walton could look to restrict Clarkson's workload over the final four games, which would limit his appeal a bit in DFS contests. Clarkson had been averaging a whopping 37.1 minutes per game over a span of 14 consecutive contests before playing only 28 minutes Wednesday.