Lonzo Ball full participant in Monday’s practice, nearing return to court for Pelicans
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After missing three straight games and nearly a week of practice, Lonzo Ball returned to the court for the Pelicans on Monday. Ball was a full participant in New Orleans’ 45-minute practice as he moves closer to a return during the current road trip.
“He did practice today,” head coach Stan Van Gundy said. “We didn’t go that long. We went about 45 minutes on the court, some of it live. He did everything and we’ll see how he is tomorrow leading into the game.”
“I feel a lot better,” Ball said of practice Monday. “I went through practice for the first time today and felt good. The plan is definitely to play tomorrow.”
Ball revealed that the bilateral knee tendinopathy that led to his surprise inclusion on the injury report last week was something he had played with during the start of the season.
“I’ve been playing with it,” he said. “It just got to a point where management came down and said ‘Take these next three games, get right and come back stronger’ and that’s what I did. I feel a lot better so I feel like we made the right decision as a whole.”
The team and Ball made some changes to his routine off the court that Ball said included morning stretching and as well as other forms of therapy to reduce the swelling. The treatment has helped as Ball returned to the practice court and looks set to return to the starting lineup as well.
“It helped a lot,” he said. “They got me on pretty much a whole new program treatment-wise and weight-wise and it’s been helping. I got on it this last I feel a lot better so, hopefully, that’ll translate onto the court.”
The Pelicans will spend much of the upcoming week in Utah for a two-game mini-series against the Jazz on Tuesday and Thursday before wrapping up the road trip in Minnesota on Saturday.
