Lakers’ Kobe Bryant expected to play vs. Kings after missing shootaround with sore throat

Kobe Bryant warms up before the game. The Lakers played the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening game of the 2015-16 NBA season. Los Angeles, CA, 10/28/2015 (photo by John McCoy/Los Angeles News Group)

Kobe Bryant warms up before the game. The Lakers played the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening game of the 2015-16 NBA season. Los Angeles, CA, 10/28/2015 (photo by John McCoy/Los Angeles News Group)

SACRAMENTO — Kobe Bryant missed the Lakers’ morning shootaround on Friday, but it hardly elicited concerns about the 37-year-old’s durability. He simply had a sore throat.

The Lakers (0-1) will not determine Bryant’s availability for tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings (0-1) at Sleep Train Arena until prior to tipoff. But Lakers coach Byron Scott believes Bryant will “be all right.”

“He’ll play, we know that,” Scott said. “But he might be a little under the weather.”

That hardly compares to what Bryant experienced in recent years, including season-ending injuries to his left Achilles tendon (April 2013), left knee (Dec. 2013) and right shoulder (Jan. 2015).

Said Scott: “He’s gone through a whole lot worse than a sore throat and a little bit of a cold.”

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