Kobe Bryant didn't practice today. Neither did Andrew Bynum. Lamar Odom also sat out in order to have tests done on his sore right foot. All three traveled with the team to Salt Lake City for Wednesday's game against the Utah Jazz, the Lakers' final contest before the All-Star break. Bryant and Bynum might not play because of ankle and hip injuries, respectively. Odom was listed as probably.

Question: Should any of them play or should they take the game off and get a jump on the All-Star break?

In case you missed it, here's what Charles Barkley had to say on TNT about the Lakers before their victory Monday night over the San Antonio Spurs: "I'm concerned about Kobe (Bryant's) health. Kobe and Pau Gasol are the only Lakers who have played well. Lamar Odom has been inconsistent, Andrew Bynum for some reason cannot play well with Pau Gasol. Ron Artest has not helped them and their bench has been inconsistent. I was watching Michael Wilbon the other day and he was talking about Kevin Garnett, Kobe, guys like that, those guys have actually played more minutes than guys like myself. I played more years than these guys, but these guys have played more minutes than I played. Kobe has played more minutes than I have and he's played four years less than me. That takes its toll. The Lakers are still the favorite if everybody's healthy."

Pau Gasol had a huge game to lead the Lakers past the San Antonio Spurs tonight at Staples Center. He scored 21 points, 19 rebounds, eight assists and five blocked shots as Kobe Bryant watched from the training room while getting treatment on his sprained left ankle. Ron Artest had 18 points, Lamar Odom had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan Farmar and Derek Fisher scored 13 apiece. Andrew Bynum (bruised right hip) also didn't play. Manu Ginobili led the Spurs with 21 points and Tony Parker scored 20.

"It was fun," Gasol said after the Lakers improved to 40-13, including 2-0 without Bryant. "I think it was a good challenge for us. The way we played tonight, (it) was beautiful to be out there. We played hard and got a nice win. I think it's got to be reassuring for the rest of the team and for the guys who don't play that much that are now stepping up. We have to play different roles without Kobe and Bynum out there."

Lamar Odom scored 11 points, Ron Artest added nine points, Sasha Vujacic added eight points and Pau Gasol had six points and 10 rebounds in the first half tonight. How's that for balance? The Lakers were missing Kobe Bryant (sprained left ankle) and Andrew Bynum (bruised right hip) while facing the full-strength San Antonio Spurs. The Lakers gave up the game's first nine points, but rallied behind a pair of 3-pointers from Artest in the early minutes and things settled into a better rhythm. Tony Parker led the Spurs with 15 points.

UPDATE: Kobe Bryant underwent an MRI exam today, which revealed he has a sprained left ankle. So, nothing new there. He's not going to play tonight against the San Antonio Spurs. It's unclear whether he will play in Wednesday's game against the Utah Jazz. Lakers coach Phil Jackson said before the game he hoped Bryant could play. As for Andrew Bynum, he also isn't playing tonight. He has a bruised and swollen right hip and he could be out until after the All-Star break. He said he probably wouldn't play against the Jazz, adding that it could be week before he's ready to play.

Kobe Bryant is listed as questionable to play tonight against the San Antonio Spurs because of a sprained left ankle. Andrew Bynum is listed as doubtful to play because of a bruised right hip. If neither can play, the Lakers' starting lineup might look like this:

Fowards: Ron Artest, Lamar Odom.
Center: Pau Gasol.
Guards: Shannon Brown, Derek Fisher.

If Bryant plays and Bynum doesn't, it could look like this:

Fowards: Ron Artest, Lamar Odom.
Center: Pau Gasol.
Guards: Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher.

Best guess: Neither plays. More after the locker room opens at 6 p.m..

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Ron Artest scored 21 points to help lead the Kobe Bryant-less Lakers past the Portland Trail Blazers, ending their nine-game losing streak in Oregon. Shannon Brown added 19 points in a reserve role. Derek Fisher had 14 points and six assists. Pau Gasol had 13 points, Jordan Farmar added 12 and Lamar Odom scored 10 points and tied his career high with 22 rebounds. LaMarcus Aldridge led Portland with 16 points. The Lakers went 3-2 during a hectic seven-day schedule of games that stretched from the East Coast to the West Coast with a stop in the middle of the country. They beat the Celtics in Boston on Sunday, lost to the Grizzlies in Memphis on Monday, beat the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday at Staples Center, lost to the Denver Nuggets at home Friday and then defeated the Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden tonight.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Center Andrew Bynum suffered a hip contusion in the first half and could not answer the bell for the second. He had three points and one rebound in 9 minutes, 33 seconds in the first half. His status for Monday's game against the San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center was not immediately know. More later.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Ron Artest moved from small forward to shooting guard and Lamar Odom went from sixth man to starting small forward because Kobe Bryant sat out because of a sprained left ankle. Artest scored 11 points in the first half, hitting a pair of 3-pointers in the closing seconds. Odom had six points and eight rebounds. Shannon Brown led the Lakers with 14 points in a reserve role. LaMarcus Aldridge led Portland with 12 points.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Kobe Bryant's streak of 235 consecutive games will end tonight, when he sits out for the first time since March 7, 2007 because of a sprained left ankle. Bryant declined to speak with reporters before tonight's game against the Portland Trail Blazers. He scored 33 points during the Lakers' loss Friday night against the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center. He last missed a game almost three years ago against the Milwaukee Bucks because of a one-game suspension. Bryant's availability for Monday's game against the San Antonio Spurs was not immediately certain.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Lakers got good news tonight when the Portland Trail Blazers announced guard Brand Roy would sit out the next three games plus the All-Star game because of a right hamstring injury. He had missed 11 of Portland's last 12 games going into tonight's contest against the Lakers, who have lost nine in a row at the Rose Garden. "Unfortunately, I'm not where I was hoping I would be physically at this point," Roy said. "It's a setback and I'm obviously disappointed, but my entire focus is getting back on the court, contributing and helping our team down the stretch." Roy scored 32 points in the Blazers' victory over the Lakers here last month. He is averaging 23.1 points in 40 games.

The Denver Nuggets busted the Lakers in the mouth in the third quarter, with Chauncey Billups scoring 21 of his career-best 39 points. He made 12 of 20 shots, including 9 of 13 from beyond the 3-point arc. J.R. Smith added 27 points on 11-for-17 shooting. Nene had 14 points. Kobe Bryant scored 33 points for the Lakers and Pau Gasol had 17 points and 17 rebounds. Denver shot 57.1 percent; the Lakers shot 44.9 percent. The Nuggets' 126 points were the most the Lakers have given up this season. Next: Portland, where the Lakers have lost nine consecutive games at the Rose Garden.

Kobe Bryant scored 23 points on 8-for-12 shooting in the first half tonight. There were concerns earlier in the day whether he would sit out because of a sprained left ankle. Pau Gasol added 10 points and eight rebounds and Andrew Bynum had eight points. Chauncey Billups led Denver with 16 points on 5-for-9 shooting. J.R. Smith added nine points.

Kobe Bryant will play in his 235th consecutive regular-season game when he takes the floor tonight to face the Denver Nuggets. Bryant's sprained left ankle was not so bad that he had to take a night off. He last missed a game March 7, 2007 against the Milwaukee Bucks. When asked if it might be wiser to rest Bryant, Lakers coach Phil Jackson said: "I believe in players playing. You know there is pain that you play through in the NBA and then there is pain that could be detrimental to your well being. ... A player has to know that if they're been around for any length of time, what you can go through, what level you can stand and still perform. And Kobe has managed that maybe better than any athlete."

Kobe Bryant declined an invitation to speak to reporters today. Coach Phil Jackson gave an update on Bryant, who aggravated his injured left ankle during Wednesday's victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. The Lakers are now calling it a sprain, by the way. Here's what Jackson said about Bryant: "He's didn't come out on the court and practice. He's trying a variety of therapies to see what will work out. I'm sure he wants to (play against the Denver Nuggets), but we'll see what that's about tomorrow. It occured to me yesterday during the course of that game (against the Bobcats that Bryant should simply sit out in order to let his ankle heal). I told him he played quite well. Two-for-12 (shooting), but a lot of those balls were just dropped on him as the 24-second clock was running out. Those kids are so used to giving him the ball at the end of the clock and making him develop a shot. He kept us running the offense. His defense was there."

Here's some of what Phil Jackson said tonight after passing Pat Riley and becoming the Lakers all-time leader with 534 coaching victories: "It's been a really good run. Having this opportunity, to coach this team, is always special. So the fact that we've had some great teams, great players, is always a credit to them (the players). My staff, the guys who help me prepare this team for games. All those things are ingredients going into this. It's not really an individual record in my mind. It's a team, a club significant thing."

Phil Jackson earned his franchise-record 534th victory in the Lakers' win over the Charlotte Bobcats tonight at Staples Center, breaking a tie with Pat Riley. Lamar Odom scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds on a night when Kobe Bryant scored a season-low five points on 2-for-12 shooting and re-injured his sore left ankle. Andrew Bynum helped the Lakers end a three-game losing streak to Charlotte by scoring 17 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Pau Gasol and Ron Artest added 14 points each. Stephen Jackson led the Bobcats with 30 points.

UPDATE: Bryant later revealed his ankle had been bothering him to start the game. He originally hurt it Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers. After tonight's game, he said, "It was just hurting today, pretty much. I tried to battle through it tonight. It was just stiff. Stiff and tight. Lamar (Odom) stepped on my foot as I was changing directions at the end of the half, so that didn't help. It just made it worse. It just set it back to square one."

Kobe Bryant injured his left ankle after a collision with Lamar Odom in the closing second of the first half tonight. It was the same ankle he tweaked when he collided with Elton Brand of the Philadelphia 76ers last Friday. Bryant left for the Lakers' locker room. There was no immediate word on the severity of the injury, but he was back on the floor to start the third quarter. Bryant scored three points on 1-for-7 shooting. Andrew Bynum led the Lakers with 12 points and nine rebounds. Stephen Jackson led the Bobcats with 12 points. The Bobcats had won three in a row over the Lakers and six of seven. Overall, Charlotte was 6-4 against the Lakers.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- On the night he became the Lakers' all-time leading scorer, Kobe Bryant passed up what could have been the tying or winning shot and passed the ball to Ron Artest instead. Artest missed a 3-pointer from the right corner as the buzzer sounded and the Lakers' four-game winning streak came to an end. They finished their eight-game trip with a 5-3 record. Bryant passed Jerry West to become their all-time leading scorer. He had 44 points on 16-for-28 shooting. Artest had 18 on 6-for-9 shooting.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Kobe Bryant became the Lakers' all-time leading scorer when he dunked to cap a fastbreak with 4:14 remaining in the third quarter tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies. Ron Artest jumped on a loose ball, passed ahead to Jordan Farmar, who shoveled the ball to Bryant for his 28th and 29th points tonight. They also were the 25,192nd and 25,193rd points of his career, enabling him to pass West.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Kobe Bryant needed to score 29 points to pass Jerry West and become the Lakers' all-time leading scorer. He has 23 points on 7-for-14 shooting in the first half tonight. He would be closer to West, but has hit only 8 of 13 free throws. West scored 25,192 points during his Hall of Fame career with the Lakers. Memphis led the Lakers by as many as 11 points in the second quarter before Bryant rallied the Lakers. Phil Jackson tied Pat Riley as the Lakers' winningest coach when they defeated the Boston Celtics on Sunday. Jackson can stand alone with win No. 534 tonight.