Lakers’ Nance, Deng expected to return vs. Dallas on Sunday

The Lakers took a significant step toward returning to full strength on Friday — that is, until point guard D’Angelo Russell went down with an injury in the first two minutes of the game against Indiana.

Before that, the Lakers announced that forward Larry Nance Jr., who has been out for a month because of a bone bruise in his left knee, and starting forward Luol Deng, who has missed two games because of a right-wrist sprain, will return to action Sunday at Dallas.

Nance, who was injured Dec. 20 at Charlotte, was examined before Friday night’s game by Dr. David McAllister of UCLA Health and cleared for full practice Saturday, the team announced. He will play “limited minutes” against the Mavericks on Sunday.

Nance, who began practicing Wednesday, averaged 7 points and 5.5 rebounds in 22.4 minutes a game and was shooting 58.4% from the field before his injury. The Lakers have missed the athleticism and energy that Nance, who leads the team with 0.64 blocked shots a game, brings to both ends of the floor.

“He looks good in practice, he really does,” Coach Luke Walton said. “He’ll be on a minutes restriction, but it will be nice to get him back.”

Deng, who was injured last Sunday against Detroit, went through a pregame workout Friday night but thought it would be best to delay his return until Sunday.

“It’s a lot better,” said Deng, who is averaging 8.1 points and 5.8 rebounds in 27.6 minutes a game. “The swelling has gone down a lot. To be honest, if I felt 100% comfortable, I’d be out there, but if I give it another day or two, it will be a lot better. I don’t want to come back, play, it flares back up and I’m out longer.”

An X-ray on Deng’s wrist was negative. Deng also underwent an MRI test and was relieved it showed no ligament damage. Initial X-rays on Clippers point guard Chris Paul’s left thumb were negative last Monday night, but an MRI revealed a torn ligament that required surgery that will sideline Paul for six to eight weeks.

“I’ve had wrist surgery before, and any time you need an MRI, you don’t really know what to think until you see the results,” said Deng, a 12-year veteran. “So definitely, I was happy to see that.”

When did Deng, a 12-year veteran, have surgery?

“In my rookie year,” he said, “about 50 years ago.”

Alumni game

Walton’s former college coach, Arizona’s Lute Olson, attended Friday night’s game at Staples Center. Walton, who played at Arizona from 1999-2003, caught up with Olson at Thursday night’s USC-Arizona game in the Galen Center, a game the Wildcats, after nearly blowing a 23-point second-half lead, won, 73-66.

Lakers guard Nick Young, a former USC standout, was also at Thursday night’s game, but Young “tucked tail and ran at halftime,” Walton said. “He gave up on his troops way too early. They actually came back and made a nice game of it.”

Said Young with a laugh: “It was over, man. They sent the third unit in, the fifth unit in.”

Olson spent one year at Long Beach State, nine years at Iowa and 25 years at Arizona, accumulating a 776-285 record before retiring in 2008. Walton said Olson’s attention to detail still sticks with him today.

“Coach was a stickler for details, and it really pays off,” Walton said. “At times it’s frustrating and you get sick of doing it. But the year after the year you spend there, all of a sudden you notice how much easier the game is coming to you and how much you can take advantage of other teams by focusing on all those little drills we used to do every day.”

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com

@MikeDiGiovanna