UPDATE (November 10, 2015 at 7:05 PM PST): Kobe Bryant sat out the game due to a sore back according to Lakers.com reporter Mike Trudell:
Kobe: the reason he didn’t play tonight was a sore back. It tightened up on him. “Extremely” disappointing to him to miss games, he said.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) November 11, 2015
With the Los Angeles Lakers approaching their first set of back-to-back games this season, many questions have popped up regarding the status of Kobe Bryant and how the team would handle him. Kobe has said that he wants to play in every game this year, but head coach Byron Scott has said his goal is to make sure Kobe makes it through the season healthy. — What will Kobe Bryant make this season? Find out here! — With no one quite sure what to expect, Lakers.com reporter Mike Trudell announced that Kobe will indeed rest in the first leg of the back-to-back against the Miami Heat:
Kobe Bryant will not play tonight in Miami. Team has decided he will rest. — Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) November 10, 2015
In Kobe’s place, veteran Metta World Peace will make his first start of the season according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times:
Metta World Peace will start for the Lakers in place of Kobe tonight vs. Miami.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) November 10, 2015
This news came as a bit of a surprise as it had been assumed that Kobe would at least play the first game and then the team would decide if he would play on the second day. With Kobe sitting out tonight, his status for tomorrow’s game against the Orlando Magic is unknown.
For World Peace, this has been an extremely quick rise as no one was sure if he would make the roster when he was signed. He was inactive at the beginning of the season, but entered the rotation the last two games and has played very well. Now, he gets a chance to make a huge impact against the Heat.