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Lakers’ Larry Nance Jr. is starting to feel like his old self again, two weeks after returning from long layoff

Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. tries to stop Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas on a drive to the basket during the second half Friday night.
(Winslow Townson / Associated Press)
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Playing on consecutive nights can tax players’ bodies, but the Lakers’ most recent set of back-to-back games had a different effect on forward Larry Nance Jr.

He said he felt more like himself than he had at any time since returning Jan. 22 after missing 16 games because of a bone bruise in his left knee.

“Coming back after being out that long is tough,” Nance said Friday after the Lakers’ 113-107 loss to the Boston Celtics. “The timing’s off, the rhythm is off, not to mention physically. But over the past couple games I’ve been getting back and trying to get back in the swing of things and tonight kind of broke the seal. I feel confident, and I’m back from the injury, and I feel good about it.”

Friday’s game was the sixth for Nance following his four-week absence, and it was his best. He scored 18 points, tying a season high, and grabbed 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.

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“If he was feeling rusty before tonight, we played him enough to knock all that rust off,” Lakers Coach Luke Walton said. “Hopefully his body feels all right tomorrow, but tomorrow’s the day off, the guys will get treatment and be able to have a little bit of recovery time. But he was really good tonight.”

The Lakers don’t play again until Monday, against the Knicks in New York.

Young in three-point contest

The Lakers didn’t have anyone selected for the All-Star game, but they will have three representatives in New Orleans during All-Star weekend.

Nick Young will participate in the three-point contest — a fact relayed to him by a fan during Thursday night’s game against the Washington Wizards.

Asked if he considered himself the favorite, he responded in true Young fashion.

“For sure, you know,” Young said. “Why wouldn’t I say that? I’m going to see where it goes, where I match up. Come back to L.A. with the trophy.”

Young didn’t have his best shooting night Thursday, missing his first five three-point attempts and finishing one for eight. “Finally made one, right?” he said. “Thought they might take me out.”

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On Friday, Young made five of 10 three-point attempts and scored 17 points.

The other two Lakers at All-Star weekend will be D’Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram in the Rising Stars Challenge.

Pneumonia scares Randle

Forward Julius Randle did not play Friday, after logging six minutes in Thursday’s game at Washington — his first game action since being diagnosed with pneumonia last Saturday.

“I was scared,” Randle said of his first reaction to the diagnosis. “I’ve only heard the bad things about it. I was shocked, I was scared.”

That the illness isn’t contagious offered some solace for Randle, who has a month-and-a-half-old baby at home. It also meant he could be with his teammates without risking infecting them.

Without much of an appetite as he battled the illness, Randle lost weight during the few days he was ordered to rest.

“He’s obviously getting a little more rest so he should continue to feel better,” Walton said. “Coming back from pneumonia, it’s not just a normal sickness to come back from. We have a nice break after this, get some good practice time in New York, and I would expect a much bigger role.”

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tania.ganguli@latimes.com

Follow Tania Ganguli on Twitter @taniaganguli

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