James is cleared to practice for Lakers

LOS ANGELES — LeBron James has been cleared to practice after being examined by Los Angeles Lakers doctors on Wednesday, the team announced.

James suffered a groin strain on Dec. 25 in the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors. He was originally listed as day-to-day, but that kind of injury typically takes weeks to heal.

James’ agent Rich Paul said the 14time All Star did not have any setbacks during his rehab, but rather is “right on schedule” in his recovery.

The Lakers traveled to Oklahoma City on Wednesday and will play the Thunder (26-17) on Thursday. The Thunder have the third best record in the Western Conference and beat the Lakers in Los Angeles by seven points. It was one of seven games the Lakers have lost without James.

On Thursday night, the Lakers will fly to Houston and play the Rockets (2518) on Friday. The Lakers lost to the Rockets, who have the fourth best record in the conference, twice this season with James. Once, they suffered a nine-point loss in their home opener and last month they suffered a 15-point loss in Houston.

In Houston last month, James Harden scored 50 points and notched a triple double against the Lakers. Since then, Harden has scored at least 32 points in every single game.

While James will return to practices after the Lakers return from that trip this weekend, it’s unclear whether or not he will be able to play Monday against the league-leading Warriors. The Lakers typically do not practice the day after returning from a road trip, which would make their first official practice on Tuesday.