NEW ORLEANS – After missing the past three games because of a hip pointer, Julius Randle returned to the starting lineup when the Lakers (9-9) opened their four-game trip against the New Orleans Pelicans (6-12) on Tuesday at Smoothie King Center.
After participating in morning shootaround without any setbacks, Randle also successfully completed a pre-game workout that tested his ability to absorb contact in the post and to make sharp cuts.
Lakers coach Luke Walton plans to determine Randle’s workload based more off of the team’s schedule than his health. The Lakers play in Chicago on Wednesday before playing another back-to-back in Toronto (Friday) and Memphis (Saturday).