Kobe sits it out

DENVER -- Lakers coach Phil Jackson hinted before the game that he might sit out one of his top players tonight against the Denver Nuggets. That player turned out to be Kobe Bryant, who was replaced in the starting lineup by Sasha Vujacic. Jackson said he wasn't as concerned about Bryant's broken right index finger as he was about his dead legs. Denver's mile-high altitude wasn't going to help matters in that regard, so Bryant did not dress. It's more likely he'll play in Friday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.