By J.A. Adande

LOS ANGELES -- Chris Paul spent an hour putting his sprained left ankle to the test in a workout on the Staples Center court before the Hornets played the Lakers Tuesday night, but he still isn’t ready to proclaim himself ready to play.

Paul ran forward and backward across the width of the court, took shots from around the perimeter and went one-on-one (all on offense) against assistant coach Robert Pack. He made spin moves, got a little elevation on his shot and looked comfortable taking off and landing on his left foot.

“It’s getting better,” Paul said. “That was the first time I was able to do all that, so every day it’s getting a little bit better.”

Paul didn’t give an estimate for his return.

“I don’t know,” he said. “When I’m 100 percent.”

That moment wasn’t Tuesday, making the Laker game the eighth he has missed so far since injuring the ankle in a loss to Portland on Nov. 13.

In the locker room, Paul still showed an ability to pass … when it came to the responsibility for this tweet he sent out on the night of the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight. First he said it was Morris Peterson’s idea. Then he blamed it on Devin Brown.