The Kobe Bryant #24 during their game against the Spurs at the Staples Center Friday, November 14, 2014. The Spurs beat the Lakers 93-80. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht/Los Angeles Daily News)
The towel draped over Kobe Bryant’s head as he sat on the bench featuring a lifeless stare. He labored as he went up and down the court, each shot that misfired sparking more head scratches that endlessly itched. But Bryant still kept plugging away, eager that he could reverse a poor game on the instant of one clutch basket as he always has done.
This night, it did not happen.
The Lakers ended their Friday with a 93-80 loss to the San Antonio Spurs at Staples Center, sparking new questions beyond the team’s worst start since the 1957-58 season in Minneapolis. The main concern rested on Bryant, whose nine-point performance on 1-of-14 shooting represented his lowest marks since shooting only 1-of-8 on Feb. 12, 2013 against Phoenix.
“He wasn’t feeling too well. I don’t know what it is,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said. “I don’t know if it’s a cold. I don’t know to be honest with you. But I know he’s not feeling well.”
That hardly sounded like good news for a player who only played six games last season because of injuries to his left Achilles tendon and left knee. But as soon as the question was asked, Scott soon clarified that it’s “nothing physically. Just not feeling well. Physically, as far as a knee, elbow or Achilles? No, nothing like that.”
Instead, Bryant was nursing what the Lakers said is a probable viral infection.
“He’s in the training room right now, and he doesn’t look good,” Lakers guard Jeremy Lin said. “I just got out of there, and he doesn’t look good at all.”
Once Bryant emerged out of the trainer’s room, he slowly walked through the flood of reporters surrounding his locker stall and plopped down on a chair. Bryant only revealed that he felt “a little achy” as early as Friday morning. But it seemed much worse.
Bryant breathed heavily. He looked exhausted. Bryant spoke in soft tones that became audible only to the microphones near his face.
“I don’t feel too good, but I’m used to playing through that,” said Bryant, who said he felt “a little achy” as early as Friday morning. “It’s just tough.”
Bryant then offered an ominous foreshadowing that brings more uncertainty to an already trying Lakers’ season.
“Tonight was one of those nights where it really makes me remember the challenge of being 36 and 19 years in and your body won’t respond,” Bryant said. “You’re used to fighting through those things and this helps me really remember exactly what I’m facing. It’s tough.”
Chilling to hear considering Bryant has played through nearly everything imaginable.
Despite nursing with a fractured right index finger during the 2009-10 season, Bryant avoided surgery by wearing a series of splints and adjusted his shooting stroke so he would place less pressure on his finger. Bryant played through a torn ligament in his right wrist during the 2011-12 season. During that same season, Bryant ensured that he did not miss any time after suffering a concussion during the 2012 NBA All-Star game by staying in a dark room for three consecutive days.
Even when Bryant tore his left Achilles tendon in April, 2013, he still managed to walk to the foul line, sink two free throws and walk off the court on his own. After hyperextending hiss knee last December in Memphis, Bryant still played through the second half on essentially one healthy leg. Bryant also quickly overcame a bout of food poisoning before scoring 22 points in Game 2 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals against the Sacramento Kings.
So after informing Scott at some point during the game that he did not feel well, Bryant pleaded to still play. Scott conceded thinking about going against Bryant’s wishes, aware that he maintained this season he would not sacrifice any player just to win a game. Still, Bryant has averaged 37.6 minutes per game over his last five games, slightly under the 38 minutes he has averaged in the previous two seasons before tearing his left Achilles tendon.
“But he also wanted to see if he could push through it,” Scott said. “I wanted to give him that opportunity.”
Bryant could not take advantage of that opportunity after doing so many times already. Why?
“19 years. That’s what’s different in all honesty,” Bryant said. “It’s a long season and I feel great, but tonight was one of those nights where it caught up. I have to try look at how to adjust recovery program and to try to answer the call and answer the challenge when I face a night like tonight in the future.”
He tried offsetting his poor shooting accuracy by going 7-of-9 from the free-throw line and dishing off six assists. But Bryant also committed six turnovers and hit his lone field goal with 10:59 left in the game. Bryant sat nearly four minutes later.
“He has stretches where he takes shots like that, misses them and then gets hot,” said Lakers forward Carlos Boozer, who also argued Bryant’s mere presence draws double teams and creates open shots for teammates. “He struggled tonight. But you know Kobe. He’ll probably come back Sunday and score 40.”
Fair enough. Bryant had become the Lakers’ lone bright spot thus far, averaging a league-leading 27.5 points per game. But Bryant might not even have the chance to revert back to his original script, admitting uncertainty if he would even play on Sunday against Golden State at Staples Center.
“This is the first I faced this type of challenge in my career,” Bryant said. “Honestly I don’t know. I’ll think about it and talk to the great team of therapists.”
Soon after, Bryant rose up from his chair and walked out of the locker room. It would mark the first steps that even Bryant considers uncharted territory.
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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com