CLEVELAND (AP) -- LeBron James tested his sprained left ankle during a team practice Saturday and proclaimed himself ready to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers' lineup.
"I feel good right now," James said as he walked off the practice court at Quicken Loans Arena, adding that he expects to play Sunday in Washington against the Wizards.
"It feels about 85 percent now and that's good enough to play without hurting the team," said James, who missed a 91-87 home win over New York on Thursday after rolling his ankle late in the third quarter the previous night in a 23-point loss in Detroit.
James intends to play in Cleveland's remaining three regular season games to stay sharp for the Cavaliers' first trip to the playoffs since 1998 -- when he was a 13-year-old in junior high school. Still, he doesn't want to risk further injury and put the team's postseason hopes in jeopardy.
"I'll play it game-by-game and see how I feel," he said. "I want to be 100 percent when it counts the most."
The third-year guard, who is averaging 31.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists and is a candidate for league MVP honors, said his initial worry turned to relief shortly after crashing to the court.
"When it first happened, I didn't know what to expect," he said. "It was a big relief when I was able to walk to the locker room. When I could put pressure on it, I knew it wasn't as bad as other sprains I've had."
Coach Mike Brown said his blood pressure subsided after reaching James on the court.
"I knew he was OK when he started arguing that he wanted to shoot the free throws," Brown said.
One game with his 21-year-old star on the bench almost proved too much to bear for Cleveland's first-year head coach.
"I got nervous looking to my right and seeing LeBron pacing around, not knowing what to do with himself," Brown said. "He's such a competitor. I don't know if he gets more worn out sitting or playing. But it wore me out."
Brown said he wants to play his starters just enough minutes to keep them in rhythm over the next three games, while extending guard Larry Hughes' playing time. Hughes scored 26 points in 40 minutes Thursday -- his best game since returning April 2 after missing three months with a broken finger on his right hand.
A Cleveland victory Sunday would damage the Wizards' chances at locking up a fifth-place seed in the playoffs -- which would pit them against the Cavaliers, who have the fourth spot locked up.
"It's not a statement game, although we want to win," Brown said. "My concern is more with working on the little things, defense, and playing the game the right way heading into the postseason."
James has a slightly different outlook.
"They're in a dogfight and are going to be playing with a little extra," he said of the Wizards. "We're trying to get as many teams out of the playoffs as possible. So, if we beat them, that's good for us."