Kobe will try to play

That's the word from coach Phil Jackson, who arrived at the training facility at 9 a.m. to find Kobe Bryant in the gym shooting jumpers. Obviously Bryant's groin isn't healed, since he hurt it just 48 hours ago, but Jackson said he put Bryant through some ``defensive sliding'' drills to test the groin and Bryant passed the test, it seems. As for tonight's game, Jackson took the attitude that Bryant will play unless he's hurting the team.

``We were surprised, pleasantly,'' Jackson said. ``If he can help the team because of the presence he has out there, then it's all right. That becomes the critical mass of that situation.''