EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart was cleared to practice Tuesday after being sidelined with a back issue for the last two weeks, giving L.A. a defensive boost heading into Wednesday's NBA Cup quarterfinals matchup with the San Antonio Spurs .

"Back's feeling good," Smart said. "Felt good in practice today. So we did some tests, passed the tests. We're going to give it a shot tomorrow. See how it feels."

Smart, 31, missed the Lakers' last six games with what the team termed a left lumbar muscle strain.

The former Defensive Player of the Year is averaging 9.3 points, 2.9 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals for L.A. this season after signing as a free agent in the summer.

Meanwhile, the Lakers prepared at practice Tuesday for the potential return of the 7

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