The Los Angeles Lakers got some good news Thursday before their home matchup against the Indiana Pacers. Starting point guard Lonzo Ball will play despite suffering an ankle sprain on Tuesday against the Denver Nuggets.

Ball sprained his ankle in Tuesday’s road loss to the Nuggets. He did return to the game after briefly going back to the locker room. The former No. 2 overall pick played 18 minutes and scored seven points while dishing out two assists.

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In 20 games this season, Lonzo Ball is averaging 8.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 40.8 percent from the field, 35.0 percent from beyond the arc and 57.1 percent from the free-throw line. The 21-year-old is only playing roughly 26 minutes a night and has been on the bench during the fourth quarter for a lot of games this season. Some Lakers fans have criticized head coach Luke Walton on social media for not playing Ball late in games.

The Lakers are on a two-game losing streak and 11-9 on the season. Veteran point guard Rajon Rondo is out with a broken hand, so the team couldn't afford to not have Ball in the lineup. Star small forward LeBron James said after the Nuggets game that it would be tough to play without Rondo and Ball since both players push the pace off makes and misses.