The Los Angeles Lakers played their second consecutive game without Kobe Bryant, who sat out because of fatigue. This game did not go as well as the first as the Lakers fell 113-93 to the Chicago Bulls.
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The Lakers may be without their star player for a little while longer as Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding reports that Kobe may not be back for another week:
Wayne Ellington said Byron told the team "it could be a week" before Kobe plays again.
— KEVIN DING (@KevinDing) December 26, 2014
With Kobe Bryant out of the lineup, ball movement has improved, but the starting lineup lacks a playmaker. Against the stout defense of the Chicago Bulls, that became a problem as the game went on.
It came as a surprise when it was announced that Kobe would miss the Christmas Day game as it was assumed that he would play, but Kobe has struggled recently and has spoken many times about being fatigued and not having his legs down the stretch of games.
The road for the Lakers gets no easier as they travel to Dallas for a game against the Mavericks on Friday before returning home to host the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night.
With Kobe out, the rest of the Lakers will need to continue to step up and a balanced effort will be necessary to come out with a win. Once Kobe does return, striking a balance on offense will be necessary for the Lakers to have success.
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