Kobe struggles, on crutches for foot injury
Kobe Bryant - G - Los Angeles Lakers
April 25, 2011 - 1:40 AM ET
Kobe Bryant failed to score in the first half and missed his first seven shots, finishing with 17 points, six rebounds and eight assists on 5-of-18 shooting, and was given crutches after the game for a left foot/ankle sprain that looked bad on television.
He suffered the injury in the fourth quarter, and while he stayed in the game, he'll have trouble keeping it from swelling overnight - especially on an airplane. Kobe should be considered questionable for Game 5, but despite a pending MRI, he's Kobe and says he'll play. Pau Gasol was invisible until the end of the game, but it wasn't enough, as he finished with 16 points and just four rebounds. Chris Paul's 13 boards tied the total of Gasol and Andrew Bynum, which is probably why the Lakers will have to go back to New Orleans for a Game 6.
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