Kobe Bryant is expected to return to the court Friday, after having missed seven straight Lakers games due to a shin injury that has sidelined him since April 6.
Bryant is expected to play in the upcoming 2012 NBA playoffs but with just three games left in the regular season, and the Lakers would like to see him play in at least two of the last three games, according to SB Nation.
Lakers star doesn’t think his shin injury is a serious one, but has opted to rest and let it heal because the Lakers have already sealed their spot in the playoffs.
Head Coach Mike Brown knows that the Lakers, who have gone 5-2 without Bryant, will need him in the playoffs for a shot at the championship.
“If you sit him for five days, and it looks like it’s feeling good,” said Brown. “Then you put him out there and then he re-aggravates it, those five days that you sat him were wasted and you got to start him all over again.”
The Lakers will face the San Antonio Spurs Friday evening on the road and then head back to Los Angeles to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder. The last regular season game will be held in Sacramento against the Kings.