Kobe Bryant may take time off after another subpar outing in Lakers' loss

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A sore and struggling Kobe Bryant is considering taking some time off to rest.

"I don't have much of a choice if the body is feeling the way it's feeling right now," Bryant told Yahoo Sports. "You got to be smart. You got to make sure you get enough
return on your investment. With the amount of work that I do and put into my body and to get my body ready, for it to be sore as it is right now, sometimes you do have to consider sitting down.

Los Angeles Lakers coach Byron Scott said he would talk to Bryant about taking off one or two games or lowering his minutes after he looked fatigued while struggling in a 108-101 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night. Bryant missed 22 of 30 shots from the field and had nine turnovers in nearly 38 minutes against the Kings. The Lakers next play the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday before going on the road to play the Chicago Bulls on Christmas and the Dallas Mavericks on Friday. Bryant said he was uncertain what games were best for him to take off.

"You got to look at the body," Bryant said. "You make the call tomorrow and see how my body feels and go from there."

When asked if Bryant's offensive struggles were due to fatigue or being aggressive offensively, Scott said: "That's fatigue. I think that goes hand in hand. I'm going to think about it tonight and sit down with Kobe tomorrow and we'll talk about it. We'll come up with a solution and try to figure out the next few games and what we want to do."
Bryant is averaging 24.6 points on 37.7 shooting from the field in 35.2 minutes per game this season. The NBA's third all-time leading scorer hasn't shot under 40 percent in his previous 18 seasons. Bryant has played in all 27 games this season after being limited to a career-low six games last season due to knee and Achilles injuries.

"I'm trying to shoulder a lot," Bryant said. "I'm trying to figure out the puzzle of my body and getting it to respond so I can come through."

On the remedy, Bryant said: "I don't know. I'm still trying to figure it out. This is uncharted territory."

So whom should the Lakers turn to offensively if Bryant is out? Guard Nick Young, who is averaging 14.9 points, says he is up to the challenge.

"Just give me the ball. I'm always ready to carry the load," Young said.

The Lakers (8-19) have lost three straight games after winning the previous three. One long-time NBA scout in attendance Sunday claimed "Kobe shoots too much" and that the Lakers are "unbearable to watch" in their current state.

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