<\/p>\n
“The King” is back, and just in time for the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a>. <\/p>\n LeBron James<\/a> returned to the court for the first time since sustaining a foot injury on Feb. 26. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer came off the bench against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday \u2014 the second time James didn’t start in his 20-season career. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n For the Lakers, James’ return couldn’t come at a better time. For the rest of the Western conference, not so much.<\/p>\n With eight games left in the regular season, the playoff race in the West is neck-and-neck. Other than the already-clinched Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies and third-place Sacramento Kings, only three games separates fourth and 11th place.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Lakers (37-37) are in the middle of the pack at eighth, earning them a play-in spot. But they may continue to rise with the return of the James, and subsequently bump teams down or out of contention. There’s no better player to lead a comeback than the four-time NBA champion.<\/p>\n That said, a sidelined James proved somewhat fruitful for LA. The Lakers went 8-5 in his absence and showcased their depth.<\/p>\n Power forward Anthony Davis has continued to dominant when healthy, averaging 26.1 points and 12.5 rebounds while shooting 56.3% from the field.\u00a0<\/p>\n Point guard D’Angelo Russell has settled into his new team, averaging 18.0 points and 6.2 assists. And rising star Austin Reaves stepped up to the plate with his clutch 35-point performance<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Add James to that squad \u2014 who’s averaging 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists \u2014 and the Lakers look like a serious threat to a conference fighting tooth and nail for a shot at glory.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n