Sources: Nets’ LeVert expected to return vs. Raps

After missing seven weeks following right thumb surgery, Brooklyn Nets guard Caris LeVert is expected to return to the lineup against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, league sources tell ESPN.

LeVert, ramping up his workouts lately, will return to a team that has lost four straight — including 123-111 to Dallas on Thursday — to drop to 16-17 and in seventh place in the East. Brooklyn has been without two of its best players –LeVert and Kyrie Irving — for an extended period.

LeVert, 25, had averaged nearly 17 points, five rebounds and four assists before going down in a Nov. 10 game against Phoenix.

LeVert missed 42 games with a foot dislocation last season — and will have missed an additional 23 games upon returning on Saturday. LeVert signed a three-year, $52.5 million contract extension in the offseason.

He has shown All-Star potential in his four seasons with the Nets, but a series of injuries have curtailed his production. LeVert averaged 21 points in five playoff games against the Sixers last season.

ESPN’s Malika Andrews contributed to this report.

http://www.espn.com/espn/rss/news