The Lakers’ starting backcourt returned Sunday night, with restrictions on their minutes. Those limits will loosen gradually during the seven-game trip that begins Monday.

Point guard D’Angelo Russell played 17 minutes in Sunday night’s 118-112 loss to the New York Knicks, and shooting guard Nick Young logged 20 minutes.

“I felt good, but you know, I felt a little winded . . . a little achy,” Young said. “But I think I’ll be all right. . . . I’m anxious to get back out there and knock the rust off and just get going.”

Both Russell and Young are expected to play Monday against the Sacramento Kings.


Russell missed the previous 11 games with a left knee injury, and Young missed six with a strained right calf muscle.

Russell has dealt with knee soreness since last season. He experienced swelling and inflammation that hindered him last month. On Nov. 23, he had a platelet-rich plasma injection to aid his healing. The injection required a recovery time of at least two weeks.

Young suffered his injury against the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 29. He was expected to miss two to four weeks.

“He’s one of the tough guys in the NBA,” Lakers Coach Luke Walton said of Young. “He’ll fight through that stuff for us. I haven’t been around him long enough to know what his healing process is like. He looked really good the last couple days.”


On Saturday, Russell and Young both went through a full Lakers practice, which included drills that involved contact.

After that practice, Russell stayed on the court to play in a three-on-three game with teammates, which was one of the final tests before he could be cleared.

Young did not participate in the three-on-three game as he felt fatigued, which would increase the risk of aggravating his injury. He did extra work Sunday before pregame shoot-around at Staples Center, participated in all of the shoot-around, then did some sprinting, sliding and change-of-direction drills in the hallways of the arena.

The final test for Young came with some pregame shooting, after which he was officially cleared to play.


Walton said both players’ minutes will likely increase Monday and in subsequent games until they can return to a regular playing load.

Phil the enigma

Phil Jackson, the Knicks’ president of basketball operations, prodded star forward Carmelo Anthony last week, suggesting Anthony can be a bit of a ball hog.

That Jackson would make public comments that needled a player did not surprise Walton at all.


“He’s been saying stuff to get people upset ever since I’ve known him,” said Walton, who played for Jackson for several years, including on two Lakers championship teams. “No, it doesn’t surprise me.”

Walton said he never really understood exactly what was the motivation behind Jackson’s barbs. There was always a purpose, though. And there was often a positive result.

“Most of the time after the controversy, whatever it was, we normally came out and played better, played harder and won games,” Walton said. “He’s got his own technique on how he does things, but most of the time in my experience it normally works out.”

tania.ganguli@latimes.com


Twitter: @taniaganguli