Gasol's Triple-Double Overcomes Kobe's Injury To Help Lakers Edge Warriors
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kobe Bryant scored 34 points while playing much of the second half in obvious pain from his injured left leg, and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied in the final minutes without him to stay in the playoff picture with a 118-116 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.
Stephen Curry scored 47 points in a dynamic performance for the Warriors, but Los Angeles played just enough late defense to hang on for a crucial win.
Bryant stayed in the game until 3:06 remained despite obvious mobility limitations and two lengthy breaks to walk off an injury from early in the second half.
The Lakers said he probably had a torn Achilles' tendon and would have an MRI exam Saturday.
Los Angeles (43-37) stayed one game ahead of Utah (42-38) for the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference with two games to go. The Jazz hold the tiebreaker.
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