Thunder's Kendrick Perkins Nearing Return From Hip Injury, May Face Lakers

Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins has been limited in practice this past week with a strained right hip muscle, but he is progressing toward a return and might play tonight in Game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers, reports John Rohde of the Oklahoman.

"He went through some of the drills [yesterday] in practice," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "He's taken a step in that direction. We'll see how he responds after the day's work [this] morning. We can assess that better."

Perkins originally sustained the injury over a week ago, when the Thunder beat the Dallas Mavericks 103-97 on May 5 to close out a four-game sweep of their first-round series. He's been listed as day-to-day throughout the team's week of practices.