Pau Gasol (hand) set to return Friday for Spurs

Coach Gregg Popovich confirmed that San Antonio Spurs forward/center Pau Gasol (hand) will play Friday night versus the Los Angeles Clippers.

What It Means:

This will be Gasol's first game since January 17, and his return means less minutes for David Lee, Dewayne Dedmon and Davis Bertans. The 36-year-old big man is recording career-lows in minutes per game (26.4), points per game (11.7) and usage rate (20.1 percent).

Gasol is projected to record 11.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 blocks on Friday night, according to numberFire's models. His 3.3 nERD is inside the NBA's top-50 for the season.