Anthony Davis makes his return, starts for Lakers vs. Nets

Anthony Davis played for the Lakers on Tuesday night against the Brooklyn Nets, the first time he’s been available in 17 games.

“He’s in,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said before the game.

Davis suffered a sprained knee against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 17. The Lakers were 7-10 without him.

“I think we would all hoped to have been better,” Vogel said. “I think that’s one of the reasons that we went out to get [Russell Westbrook] is to handle one of those guys being out better than we did last year. So, 7-10 is something where we wish we could’ve done better.”

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Davis returns as the Lakers reach the middle hump of their six-game road trip, the team hovering around .500 with their trio of stars — Davis, Westbrook and LeBron James — having played only 15 games together.

“To fast-track it, I think they have to spend as much time on the floor together as they can,” Vogel said. “There’s not going to be a lot of practice time so the communication and film sessions will be vital. And obviously, the communication within the games, talking to each other. It’s really going to come down to getting as many minutes together on the floor as possible.”

In 27 games this season, Davis is averaging 23.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks.

“He’s one of the best two-way players in the game,” Vogel said. “I see him impacting both sides of the ball. We’ve missed his defensive versatility, his length at the basket, ability to guard on the perimeter and obviously, everything he does offensively.”