Jimmy Butler Reportedly Expects to Return from Knee Injury vs. Lakers

Minnesota Timberwolves star Jimmy Butler expects to play in Friday night's game against the Los Angeles Lakers, the New York Times' Marc Stein reported.

Butler hasn't played since injuring his right knee in Minnesota's 120-102 loss to the Houston Rockets on Feb. 23. Two days later, he underwent meniscus surgery.

According to Stein, Butler will undergo testing during pregame warmups Friday before getting the green light to play.

The Timberwolves activated Butler for what proved to be a 100-96 defeat to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. After the game, head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters the team "thought it was best" to keep Butler on the bench.

Butler couldn't return at a better time for Minnesota, which has the same record (44-35) as the ninth-place Nuggets and sits in eighth by virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Timberwolves have three games left, including a matchup with Denver in their final game Wednesday.

Even one defeat between now and next Wednesday could mean Minnesota misses out on the postseason for the 14th straight season.