On Tuesday, Kobe Bryant rested as the Los Angeles Lakers stunned the Golden State Warriors at home. With a couple days off, it was expected that Kobe would play against the Chicago Bulls on Christmas Day in his first matchup against Pau Gasol, who left during free agency.
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Before taking on the Bulls on Christmas Day, head coach Byron Scott revealed that Kobe will not play tonight as he is still dealing with soreness according to Lakers.com reporter Mike Trudell:
A surprise: Kobe Bryant will not play tonight in Chicago, said Byron Scott. Kobe will speak to reporters momentarily.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) December 25, 2014
Byron Scott spoke to Kobe this morning; Bryant is still very sore/fatigued, generally, and Scott made the decision to sit him again.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) December 25, 2014
At the age of 36 and coming off two significant season-ending injuries, Kobe has struggled to recover following games. The five-time champion is averaging 35.4 minutes per game and as a result, is on pace for his worst shooting percentage (37.2) of his career.
Kobe recently suffered an 8-for-30 shooting performance against the Sacramento Kings and like many times before this season, cited that he simply didn’t have his legs. With Kobe clearly fatigued at this point of the season, it will be a day-by-day process for him as Scott looks to limit his minutes for the rest of the season.
In 27 games, Kobe is averaging 24.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists.
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