Bynum hyperextends right knee

Andrew Bynum suffered a hyperextended right knee after stepping on the foot of San Antonio's DeJuan Blair while running back on defense in the second quarter of tonight's game against the Spurs. Bynum will undergo an MRI exam Wednesday morning and will not join the team for its trip to Sacramento. He stayed on the court for quite some time before leaving the game and heading for the Lakers' locker room with 8 minutes, 11 seconds left in the first half. He walked slowly, but under his own power. Joe Smith, a seldom-used big man, entered the game and grabbed two rebounds.

Bynum had surgery on his right knee July 28 to mend torn cartilage and missed the season's first 24 games. He has had knee trouble in four consecutive seasons. He sat out of the 2008 playoffs after injuring his left kneecap and the Lakers fell to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. He was relatively healthy in the last two seasons and the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in the 2009 Finals and the Celtics last June.