Anytime Kobe Bryant goes to the ground, the entire Lakers fan base collectively holds their breath. Bryant went down holding his knee in the third quarter after appearing to hyperextend it while attempting to drive around Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen.
While Bryant did eventually return to the game, he could be seen grimacing and flexing his knee throughout the remainder of the night. After the game Bryant, spoke with reporters and explained what happened, via Time Warner Cable Sportsnet:
“I hyperextended it. I tend to hyper extend my knees every now and then. It’s just one of those situations.” – Kobe on (via @twcsportsnet)
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) December 18, 2013
When players come back from lower body injuries, a lot of times they injure something else because of overcompensation for their recently healed injury. Bryant has already spoken numerous times about his ankles struggling to stay warm and now he has tweaked a knee.
Bryant did return to the game and tied for the team lead in scoring with 21 points in the Lakers 96-92 victory over the Grizzlies, so it doesn’t seem to be much of a deal, but it does bear watching going forward. With the rash of injuries that have hit the Lakers backcourt, the last thing they need is for Bryant to have another setback in his continued recovery from the Achilles injury.
The Lakers don’t play again until Friday, so it will be worth monitoring Bryant’s practice time to see how well he will recover before the next game.
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