5 players who made unexpected returns from injury against LA Lakers in 2024-25 NBA season

One of the biggest talking points among LA Lakers fans online is the frequency of injured players suddenly returning to face the purple and gold. While there might be bias involved due to the Lakers being the Lakers, there are a handful of players who were cleared to return against them throughout the season.

So much so that coach JJ Redick had his analytics team look into it and found something interesting:

"I don’t know that it’s been updated," Redick said in late March, according to Silver Screen and Roll. "I haven’t looked at it since Dame (Lillard) missed the Milwaukee game. But I think it’s like 86% of payroll has been available (against) us this year, which is, by far, No. 1 in the league."

With that said, let's look at five players who returned from injuries to face the LA Lakers this season.

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5 players who made unexpected returns from injury against the LA Lakers

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#1 - Bradley Beal started it all in October

Bradley Beal started it all in October. (Photo: IMAGN)

Bradley Beal dealt with an elbow injury early in the season for the Phoenix Suns. He missed five games because of it but was suddenly available on Oct. 26 against the LA Lakers.

Beal played 27 minutes and dropped 23 points in his return, helping Phoenix get the easy 127-100 win. It didn't matter since the Lakers are currently in third and the Suns are officially out of play-in contention with a week left in the regular season.

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#2 - Nikola Jokic wasn't injured, but this one counts

Quite possibly the toughest opponent for the LA Lakers in the past two seasons is Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets. For some unknown reason, Jokic seemingly plays his best when he sees the purple and gold colors.

"The Joker" missed 12 days due to paternity leave and returned in time to face the Lakers. He had 34 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists as the Nuggets earned the 127-102 win.

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#3 - Trio of Celtics rested before rivalry game vs. Lakers

Trio of Celtics rested before rivalry game vs. Lakers. (Photo: IMAGN)

The Boston Celtics rested Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday before their game against the LA Lakers on Jan. 23. The defending champions seemingly preferred having a complete lineup versus their bitter rivals rather than the Clippers.

Despite what the Celtics did, the Lakers hilariously came away with the shocking 117-96 victory to embarrass the reigning champs. If the basketball gods are real, these two teams are likely facing each other in this year's NBA Finals.

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#4 - LaMelo Ball returns to torch the Lakers

Another example of an injured star returning against the LA Lakers, LaMelo Ball was nearly unstoppable on Feb. 19. Ball missed the Charlotte Hornets' final game before the All-Star break with ankle soreness.

The young guard was cleared to return versus the Lakers and cooked his way to a terrific night. He had 27 points, five rebounds and six assists as the Hornets shocked the Lakers 100-97 at Crypto.com Arena.

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#5 - Ja Morant is no stranger to the Lakers

Ja Morant is no stranger to the Lakers. (Photo: IMAGN)

Fresh off a six-game absence because of an ankle issue, Ja Morant made his return against the LA Lakers on March 29. Morant struggled with 22 points on 23 shots as the Memphis Grizzlies failed to get the win, losing 134-127.

The two-time All-Star guard has been a thorn in the side for the Lakers, though he hasn't found a lot of success against the purple and gold since Dillon Brooks decided to talk trash to LeBron James.