Bryant dealing with soreness all over as misses second straight game…
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Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant cited “old age” as the reason behind the decision to sit out the Christmas Day clash against the Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls secured a 113-93 win in his absence with Pau Gasol leading the charge for the hosts, but the biggest news came ahead of the game with Bryant ruled out due to general soreness.
“It’s extremely difficult, especially playing here, playing on Christmas Day and playing in this city. I love playing here,” Bryant said. “The fans have always been great. There’s always a lot of energy in the building.
“At the same time, I’ve just got to try to be smart. It’s really going against my nature, but I’ve got to be smart about this.
“Old age. My knees are sore at this stage of the season,” he said. “My Achilles are sore — both of them. My metatarsals are tight, back is tight. I just need to kind of hit the re-set button.”
The 36-year-old had already spoken to coach Byron Scott about the idea of reducing his minutes after he started the season playing a team-high.
Bryant also hinted that he would be playing fewer minutes moving forward, and he suggested that his chances of playing against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday were “slim”.
Lakers coach Scott revealed that he was notified by Bryant that he was suffering from soreness on Thursday morning and that he made the decision to sit him out, a choice that wasn’t met with much resistance.
Bryant is averaging 24.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game this season but the statistics suggest that the Lakers have been better on both ends of the floor this season with the veteran on the bench.
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