Lakers Rumors: LeBron James 'Hopeful' to Test Ankle Injury Ahead of Pelicans Game

LeBron James and Anthony Davis may soon be back together on a basketball court.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported James hopes to test out his left ankle sprain ahead of Friday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Davis is currently listed as a game-time decision for the contest, which will be critical to the Lakers' hopes of making the play-in tournament.

The Lakers have a half-game lead over the San Antonio Spurs for the final play-in spot heading into Thursday's matchup against the Utah Jazz. With Davis and James out of the lineup in Utah, they'll likely enter Friday tied with the Spurs with only six games remaining in the regular season.

The Pelicans hold a 1.5-game lead over the Lakers heading into Thursday.

James has been sidelined since spraining his ankle in Sunday's loss to New Orleans, which saw the Lakers blow a 23-point lead in embarrassing fashion. The NBA's most disappointing team has lost three straight games and seven of its last nine, putting its playoff hopes on life support.

Davis has been out since suffering a foot injury in a Feb. 16 win over Utah. At the time, the Lakers were only four games below .500. They're 4-13 in the 17 games he's missed since going down—despite James putting up spectacular scoring displays night after night.

James will need to play at least three more games the rest of the regular season to qualify for the scoring title. He currently leads the NBA with 30.1 points per game.