An unusual two-word phrase can finally be attached to the Lakers — getting healthy.

It has been a rare occasion for the defending NBA champions, but all five projected playoff starters took the court together Saturday for only the second time in two months.  

LeBron James returned from an ankle injury and uncorked a late flurry to secure a 122-115 victory over the Indiana Pacers that kept alive the Lakers’ chances to miss the dreaded play-in tournament.

Dennis Schröder, who missed seven games because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols, joined James in the starting lineup and Anthony Davis. Davis sat out Wednesday’s game against Houston because of a strained adductor.

The Lakers (41-30) moved into a tie with Portland for sixth place in the Western Conference but could still find themselves in the play-in tournament instead of a week off between the end of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs.

Portland holds the tiebreaker with the Lakers and avoids the tournament with a victory Sunday against Denver.

If Portland loses that game and the Lakers beat New Orleans on Sunday, the Lakers finish ahead of Portland and do not have to worry about the play-in tournament.

“Let the chips fall where they may,” James said. “We’ll be ready to play.”

James scored seven consecutive points down the stretch Saturday to end a four-minute Lakers scoring drought. He drained a three-pointer, banked in a 5-foot runner, and tipped in Andre Drummond’s missed lay-up to extend a Lakers’ lead that had shrunk to three.

Lakers fans would be happy to see James’ stats — 24 points and eight assists in 28 minutes. Anecdotally, they would also enjoy the powerful one-handed alley-oop dunk he completed in the first quarter off Schröder’s lob.

James initially hurt his ankle in March, missed six weeks, and then came back for only two games before aggravating the injury.

He sat out another six games before Saturday’s return.

“Last game I played, I think it was Toronto, that halftime break kind of stiffened my leg up, my ankle up,” James said. “Tonight was a complete 360 for me. Or a complete 180 for me, I would say. It allowed me to still play the game I wanted to play. I think every game I’ll get better and better, but it was a good first test for me.”

The Lakers were not flawless against an Indiana team that went without several players, including Domantas Sabonis, Malcolm Brogdon and Myles Turner. 

All seemed well for the Lakers after Montrez Harrell’s free throw put them ahead, 111-97, with 7:19 to play. Then their offense paused, their defense stumbled and the Pacers almost caught up.

“We still could use a lot more time to find cohesiveness, but I thought there was a lot of positives from today’s game,” Lakers Coach Frank Vogel said. “It was a little bit of a snapshot of what we could look like.”

Davis scored 28 points and made his mark immediately, scoring 17 in the first quarter. Schröder scored 14 points and rebounded from a slow start in which most of his shots were short.

Alex Caruso was the only Lakers player still sidelined by injury. He could have played if necessary, but the Lakers kept him on the bench because of a sore right foot.