Pau Gasol made his return from a concussion by coming off the bench for the Los Angeles Lakers last night.  He was being eased back into game-action after missing more than a week with the injury.  Gasol suffered the concussion when he took an inadvertent elbow to the face on January 5th.

According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles, Gasol was cleared to play yesterday as expected.  The team was cautious with his return as the NBA, like other sports leagues, has added emphasis on head injury treatment.  After being cleared, it was announced that Gasol would come off the bench.


Gasol's return came at a time when the Lakers were taking on the league's best.  The Miami Heat have the best record in the NBA, in stark contrast to the Lakers who are struggling to get back to .500.  Los Angeles has some work to do to get back into the playoff picture.

Gasol's season has had it's ups and downs, but the veteran forward is hoping to contribute more consistently going forward.  He has battled injuries throughout the 2012-13 season.  So far this year, Gasol is averaging 12.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
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