Miami Heat forward LeBron James sat out of Thursday's practice to receive treatment for a bruised right knee, and now has hopes to play in Friday's contest against the Chicago Bulls.
"I hope so," James told reporters when asked if he'll be available for Friday.
In recent weeks, James has seen an increase in his minutes as he tried to lead the Heat out of some recent struggles. He played 42 minutes in Wednesday's game against the Dallas Mavericks and went 48 minutes without a break in the second half during Monday's overtime win over the Orlando Magic.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra insists that James' heavy minutes aren't much of a concern for the team right now, and points out the 38.4 minutes he's been averaging this season are the third-fewest of his career. James is tied with Joe Johnson for sixth in the league in minutes played this season, behind Luol Deng, Kevin Durant, Joakim Noah, Kobe Bryant and Jrue Holiday.
"We know that he's been playing constantly for a while, and he doesn't miss many games," teammate Dwayne Wade said. "But you still have to be prepared just in case (he can't) go, because he does take a beating every night, and he might need (a rest). I tell him some practice days, 'Hey man, why don't you sit down?' But he doesn't want to. When it comes to games, I can't tell him that. He's not built that way. For him to miss a game, he'd really, really have to be hurt."
With all the increased minutes, James has yet to show signs that it's having any affect to his body. He's played in every game this season, and is averaging 26.5 points, 8.6 assists and 7.1 rebounds per game.
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