Report: Lakers upgrade LeBron James’ and Anthony Davis’ statuses for critical game vs. Pelicans

The Los Angeles Lakers have a huge game in their quest to make the play-in tournament on Friday night against the New Orleans Pelicans.

There is hope the team will have superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the court for the critical contest.

James, who has been dealing with an ankle injury, was sidelined for the Lakers’ last two games, which were against the Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz.

The Lakers were throttled in both games without James. They lost to the Mavs by a score of 128-110 on Tuesday and then suffered a 122-109 loss to the Jazz on Thursday evening. The team is on a four-game losing streak.

Entering Friday’s action, the Lakers stand in the No. 11 spot in the Western Conference with an abysmal 31-45 record. The San Antonio Spurs, who hold the same record, are in the No. 10 spot in the conference. The Pelicans own the No. 9 seed with a 33-43 record.

Time is ticking on the Purple and Gold. The squad has six games left this season, including duels with the brawny Pelicans, Pheonix Suns, Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets.

On the bright side, it appears the cavalry is on the way with James and Davis nearing returns.

Davis, 29, has been out of action since the middle of February due to a foot injury. He’s averaging 23.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game this season.

The 37-year-old James is having monstrous year. The four-time MVP is collecting 30.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game this season. He’s shooting 52.3 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from distance.