Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart returned to practice Tuesday and intends to play in Wednesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal matchup against the visiting San Antonio Spurs.
Smart has missed the past six games with a lumbar strain in his back.
“Back’s feeling good,” Smart told reporters. “Felt good in practice today. So we did some tests, passed the tests. We’re going to give it a shot tomorrow. See how it feels.”
Smart, 31, is averaging 9.3 points, 2.9 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 14 games (nine starts) with the Lakers. He joined the team as a free agent in the offseason and is in his 12th NBA campaign.
Smart was NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the 2021-22 season while playing for the Boston Celtics. A first-round pick (sixth overall) in 2014, Smart played nine seasons with the Celtics and also spent time with the Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards.
He has career averages of 10.6 points, 4.5 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 649 games (396 starts).
San Antonio has its own injury concern. Star center Victor Wembanyama (left calf strain) has missed 11 straight games and is nearing a return. Wembanyama made the trip to Los Angeles.
The Lakers defeated the visiting Spurs 118-116 on Nov. 5.
