Kobe Bryant has a badly broken finger, an aching knee, and now has a sprained ankle to deal with.  That isn’t going to stop the “Black Mamba” from playing though, and he is expected to play tonight against the Denver Nuggets.  Kobe knows how to play through the pain, which he has proven by playing most of this season with a broken index finger on his shooting hand.  It hasn’t really affected his game too much either, with Kobe averaging 27.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.7 steals while shooting 46% from the field.  The one part of his game that his finger could be limiting him is his three point shooting.  Kobe is only hitting 32% of his threes this season, which is his lowest three point percentage since the 2001-’02 season.  Kobe has been playing great overall though, and the Lakers are atop the Western Conference with a 38-12 record.  Without Kobe they go from arguably the best team in the NBA, to just a decent team, so they can not afford to lose him.  Kobe’s competitive drive will keep him on the court as long as he can, and hopefully his injuries don’t get worse and affect him in the playoffs.