Kobe Bryant has missed the past five games for the Los Angeles Lakers with an ankle injury, but he was back in true form for the Lakers in his first game back last night.  With 4.3 seconds left and the Lakers down 98-96 to the Memphis Grizzlies, Kobe nailed a three from the right wing to put the Lakers up for good.  It was Kobe’s fifth game-winning shot this season.  Kobe went 13-19 from the field and finished with 32 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.  He also put the Lakers on his back in the final 2 1/2 minutes, scoring the team’s final 9 points and also outscoring the Grizzlies 9-3 by himself in those final minutes.  Although the Lakers played well without Kobe (4-1 in his absence), they don’t have a closer who can make big shots down the stretch consistently throughout the season.  Kobe is the best closer since Michael Jordan, so the Lakers are ecstatic to have him back.  Kobe’s play last night is a great sign for the Lakers, as his ankle handled 40 minutes last night and he looks healthy again.

The Lakers will be without backup shooting guard Sasha Vujacic for the next couple of weeks with a sprained shoulder. Vujacic played in 52 games (0 starts) for the Lakers this season and he is averaging 7.9 minutes, 2.5 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. The Lakers shouldn’t miss Vujacic too much as they weren’t playing him much this season anyway.

Phil Jackson is contemplating moving Lamar Odom into the starting lineup and bringing Andrew Bynum off the bench. Count me in as a guy that doesn’t like that idea. Bynum is young and he might not respond when to being demoted. Plus he has played pretty well this season. Bynum has played in 50 games (all starts) for the Lakers this season and he is averaging 31.3 minutes, 15.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.5 blocked shots per game. That’s not to say that Odom is not a starting player because he would start for at least 75% of the teams in the NBA. He has played well this season for the Lakers. Odom has played in 54 games (25 starts) for the Lakers this season and he is averaging 31.3 minutes, 10.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.

Kobe Bryant has now missed three straight games for the Los Angeles Lakers, but they are 3-0 without him.  The main reason why is Pau Gasol who has really stepped it up in Kobe’s absence, especially in the last 2 games.  In Kobe’s first game out of action against the Trail Blazers, the Lakers got an easy 99-82 win and Gasol had 13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.  That is a bad game compared to Gasol’s last two.  In a 101-89 win over the Spurs, Gasol had 21 points, 19 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 blocks, and 1 steal.  He followed that up with nearly an identical stat line of 22 points, 19 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 blocks, and 1 steal in a 96-81 win over the Jazz.  The Lakers were also without one of their other top players, Andrew Bynum, so Gasol’s phenomenal play is coming at a great time for the Lakers.  Gasol has been a great sidekick to Kobe Bryant, but he has proven he can hold down the fort while Kobe is out healing up.  If the Lakers can get healthy for the playoffs, I see no reason why they won’t repeat as NBA Champions.

Kobe Bryant’s ankle is worse than originally thought, and after playing with what was listed as a “sore left ankle” against the Denver Nuggets, Kobe has missed two straight games for the Los Angeles Lakers and it has been updated to a “sprained left ankle”.  He played 39 minutes against the Nuggets, going 11-22 for 33 points and 9 rebounds.  Kobe’s outside shot was on (he hit 4-8 threes) but he lacked the aggressiveness going to the hole that we are used to seeing out of Kobe.  I’m not sure if he tweaked his ankle and made it worse, but he has been sitting out since that game and may sit out of the All-Star game.  He is listed as a game-time decision for tomorrow night’s game against the Utah Jazz.  The Lakers won both games without Kobe, first a road win against the Portland Trail Blazers and then a home win over the Spurs.  So, the Lakers are still a very capable team without Kobe, but they are going to need him to be healthy towards the end of the season and once the playoffs start.  It might be smart then for Kobe to rest his ankle up for the second half of the season.  Knowing how competitive Kobe is, don’t be surprised to see Kobe out there tomorrow night and even make an appearance during the All-Star game this weekend.