Over the past three games, Kobe Bryant has been back to form as the league’s leader scorer with a 40-point performance against the Golden State Warriors, 24 points against the New Jersey Nets and an impressive 31-point showcase (13-for-19 shooting) against the crosscourt rival Los Angeles Clippers last night at the Staples Center. All three of these games resulted in wins for the Los Angeles Lakers, but it hasn’t come without a cost now that Kobe Bryant is playing through pain once again with an injured left shin.
As arguably the toughest player in the NBA in terms of playing through injuries, Kobe Bryant never seems to get fazed or rattled when banged up. This time around is no different with the Black Mamba playing at an extremely high level and helping the Lakers move closer to clinching the Pacific division in the process.
Lakers head coach Mike Brown commented on Kobe Bryant’s skin shin injury and his star player playing through pain via Mark Medina of the L.A. Times:
Lakers Coach Mike Brown reminded everyone that’s “just what he does.” But it’s still spectacular, nonetheless, to witness it over and over again.
“I’m not surprised because I’ve seen it a lot in a short amount of time with him,” Brown said. “But he’s a great player. Great players are supposed to make great plays.”
With the playoffs right around the corner, the Lakers having both Andrew Bynum and Kobe Bryant nursing injuries, which is definitely not a good sign. Despite the fact that the team’s two best players are banged up, there was no sign of weakness last night with Kobe and Bynum combining for 67 points in a big win over the Los Angeles Clippers, 113-108.
As usual, Kobe’s injuries haven’t hindered his play on the floor and hopefully that continues to be the case with the end of the regular season drawing near. In the meantime, Kobe will continue to wear a shin guard during games and a walking boot after.
