Scan Reveals Worthy Is on Good Footing

A bone scan of James Worthy’s injured right foot on Wednesday reportedly showed no stress fracture, and the Laker forward practiced Thursday and is expected to play Saturday night when the Lakers meet the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City.

Worthy, the Lakers’ leading scorer with a 21.2 average, has been periodically bothered by soreness in his foot. The pain flared again recently after Worthy suffered a sprained ankle on Nov. 9 against the Golden State Warriors.

Gary Vitti, the Lakers’ trainer, said Worthy has injured only “soft tissue” in his foot, perhaps overcompensating from his ankle injury and chronic tendinitis in his knees.

Worthy said he is able to play with the soreness.

“I wasn’t worried about it being something (major) going on in there,” Worthy said. “But I just wanted to get it X-rayed before we got too far into the season. Now, I can rule out (a stress fracture). It only gets stiff at times (during practice and games), like a few other injuries I’ve had for a long time.”

Worthy said the soreness in his right foot predates his ankle sprain. Worthy fractured his ankle during his freshman year at North Carolina in 1980, and he said he periodically has had pain in his foot since.