The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a terrible 96-92 loss to the short-handed Atlanta Hawks tonight. Not only that, but Kobe Bryant went down with a severe left ankle injury late in the fourth quarter, and the team says he’s out indefinitely. Bryant says it’s the worst sprain he’s had since the 2000 NBA Finals. Per the LA Times and OC Register: “Bryant left the game after the Lakers committed a foul. He did not return. X-rays were negative. He was seen limping across the locker room, his ankle taped, before he disappeared into the trainer’s room. Bryant had 31 points but did not shoot well, missing 22 of 33 shots. The Lakers (34-32) had been playing well, winning four consecutive games, but took a step back by losing to the injury-depleted Hawks. […] Kobe, referring to the foot he landed on in the 2000 NBA Finals vs. Indiana, said about Dahntay Jones: ‘He Jalen Rose’d me.'”
