Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said LeBron James will play Wednesday against the Golden State Warriors despite an ankle injury that forced him to exit the team's regular-season finale.
Vogel said James fully participated in practice Tuesday and is experiencing "minor" right ankle soreness, adding that the four-time MVP is "good to go," according to the Los Angeles Times' Dan Woike.
James, 36, limped off the court midway through the fourth quarter of Sunday's 110-98 win over the New Orleans Pelicans after landing awkwardly on the same ankle that caused him to miss a 20-game stretch, the longest of his NBA career.
L.A.'s victory in New Orleans was the second contest of a back-to-back and the second game James played in after aggravating his initial right ankle injury on May 2 versus the Toronto Raptors.
The Lakers will host Steph Curry and the Warriors at Staples Center after failing to snatch sixth place and the final automatic playoff spot in the Western Conference on the final day of the regular season. The winner of Wednesday's play-in tilt will earn the No. 7 seed in the conference and face the Phoenix Suns in a best-of-seven series starting Sunday in Arizona.
