Lakers' Walton finally returns to lineup

SAN ANTONIO - Luke Walton's long wait to play ended Tuesday night.

He peeled off his sweats and entered the Lakers' game against the San Antonio Spurs with 5.1 seconds left in the first half, his first appearance in two months.

OK, so it wasn't exactly a significant one. He didn't handle the ball as the Lakers misfired on a last-second play before halftime. But it marked his return to action after an extended absence because of a back injury.

Walton also played 5 minutes, 55 seconds in the fourth quarter, scoring four points on 2-for-4 shooting in the Lakers' 105-85 defeat.

With Pau Gasol sidelined for a fifth consecutive game because of a strained left hamstring and backup small forward Adam Morrison suffering from an illness, Lakers coach Phil Jackson turned to Walton for help up front.

Walton last played Nov. 13, when he scored two points in six minutes during the Lakers' loss to the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers originally said he would be sidelined for up to six weeks because of a pinched nerve in his back. Recently, he set Friday's game against the Clippers as his return date.

"There have been a lot of ups and downs to this whole six-week period," Walton said. "Some days I felt great. Other days I felt like I was never going to get better. Within the last seven to 10 days, with the amount of work we've done, we've really ramped it up and it's pretty much stayed pain-free throughout that whole time.

"It still gets sore afterwards, but nothing really bothers me while I'm playing, which is all that really matters."

Walton hurt his back during training camp and now believes he returned too quickly and aggravated the injury, which forced him into a longer layoff. He has gone through a couple of light practices with teammates in the past week.

"I told him I feel good," Walton said, referring to Jackson. "I told him I would be ready if he does call me. I mean, I feel good enough to play basketball. It feels a lot better right now than it did before this whole thing (started during training camp in October).

"As of right now, the goal is to maintain this level, but we won't know that until we start to play. Obviously, I'm not in the same shape I was going into the season, but once I start playing, adrenaline and all that stuff takes over."

More medical news

Gasol has targeted Friday as his date to return to the active roster. He did not play Tuesday against the Spurs and was not expected to suit up for tonight's game against Dallas.

Ron Artest suffered a sprained right index finger in the first half. He played limited minutes in the fourth quarter. He said he expects to play tonight after first denying there was anything wrong with his finger.

Sasha Vujacic strained his right hamstring in the first half. He returned for a brief appearance just before halftime, but then did not play in the second half. He said he hoped to play tonight.