Lakers' Anthony Davis Feels '100%,' Eyeing Return from Calf Injury vs. Mavericks

Los Angeles Lakers power forward Anthony Davis said Wednesday he expects to return from a calf injury for Thursday night's road game against the Dallas Mavericks barring a last-minute setback. 

"I feel 100 percent healthy," he told reporters.

Davis was putting together another All-Star season for the Lakers, averaging 22.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals across 23 appearances, before getting sidelined in mid-February to recover from calf and Achilles injuries.

L.A. head coach Frank Vogel initially announced the 28-year-old Chicago native was expected to miss around a month, but the timetable was eventually increased as the team played it safe with one of its franchise cornerstones. He's ultimately missed nine weeks of action.

The Lakers, who've also been without LeBron James as he recovered from an ankle injury, have been forced to use makeshift lineups. Markieff Morris, Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Kuzma, Marc Gasol and the recently added Andre Drummond have combined to handle most of the frontcourt minutes in Davis' absence.

While the most important thing for James, Davis and Co. is being healthy for the playoffs, they also don't want to slide too far down the Western Conference standings. The University of Kentucky product will step back into a high-volume role after getting back up to full speed.