Minus injured Kobe, Lakers lose to Suns

Saturday Indiana 72-86 Boston New Orleans 99-90 Minnesota Charlotte 96-116 Atlanta Philadelphia 82-88 Orlando Memphis 94-89 Dallas Milwaukee 116-94 Portland Golden State 112-97 Denver LA Clippers 109-94 Sacramento PHOENIX Kobe Bryant sat out the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night because of an injured left shin, ending his consecutive games streak at 138.Lakers longtime trainer Gary Vitti said just before tipoff he decided to put Bryant’s left foot in a protective boot to rest the injury.“It’s very painful,” Vitti said. “He’s been playing with this and it’s not getting any better. Really the only way to stop it is to shut him down. That’s why I put him in a boot.”The trainer said there is no timetable for Bryant’s return. Bryant is to be re-evaluated on Monday.Coach Mike Brown said he didn’t find out Bryant wasn’t going to be able to go until just before tipoff.“Gary came to me and said that Kobe is out,” Brown said. “I said `OK.”’ Bryant did not talk to reporters after the game, a 125-105 loss.Ramon Sessions started in place of Bryant and finished with 11 points and nine assists.Bryant, the NBA’s leading scorer at 28.1 points per game, was limping noticeably in the late stages of the Lakers’ home loss to Houston on Friday night. He was kicked in the shin last a week ago against New Orleans.Bryant was 8 for 20 from the field but made all 11 of his free throws to score 28 points against the Rockets. The soreness hasn’t seemed to affect his scoring. In the four games since he was hurt, he has had 40, 24, 31 and 28 points in the last four games, the first three of them Lakers victories.The 33-year-old perennial All-Star had played in all 56 games this season, averaging 38.4 minutes, fourth-most in the NBA. The Lakers are a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers in the Pacific Division. He played in all 82 games last season.The game against the Suns was the first of a three-game road trip, with later stops at New Orleans on Monday and a critical showdown with San Antonio on Wednesday.Bryant averaged 38.5 points in three games against Phoenix this season, two of them Los Angeles wins.