Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant has sat out three of the last four games and six of the team's last 11 matchups overall, but coach Byron Scott "hasn't thought about" shutting the five-time NBA champion down for the season.
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Bryant was once again on the sidelines when the Lakers fell 104-96 to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday as he continues to take days off in his 19th NBA season to rest.
Scott, however, said he hasn't given thought to shutting down his 36-year-old shooting guard for the season.
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"I haven't thought about that yet," Scott said, according to ESPN. "I keep thinking about game-to-game right now. So I haven't gotten to that point. Maybe after the All-Star break, maybe we will start talking about something like that if necessary."
Bryant and Scott have worked together to keep the Lakers star fresh this season by changing his routine around after he was held to just six games in the 2013-14 campaign due to myriad injuries.
Though he wasn't active when the Lakers hosted the Trail Blazers on Sunday, Bryant was still there to watch his teammates.
"I talked to him this afternoon and told him he didn't even have to come tonight but he wanted to come anyway," Lakers coach Byron Scott said before Sunday's game. "It's just my feeling that I wanted to give him another day of rest ... If the legs are good and his body is pretty good and he's not feeling any soreness or any stiffness or anything like that, then we'll go from there."
Scott admitted he had higher expectations of Bryant as far as how many contests he'd play and how many minutes he'd play in them than the shooting guard had himself.
"I have a ton of confidence in him but I didn't take into serious consideration him almost missing a whole year and getting back and playing," Scott said. "I should have figured out that was going to take a little time. Watching him in workouts and watching in what great shape he was in, I think I got a little too confident, thinking he could handle those type of minutes. I was wrong."
Bryant has played in 32 of the Lakers' 38 games this season and is averaging 34.8 minutes, 23 points, 5.6 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game thus far.
While Los Angeles is hoping to keep him healthy for this season, the franchise is also looking toward next year when he enters his 20th campaign and the final season of his deal.
"He's a basketball player that's played a lot of years so I have to be a little concerned about that," Scott said. "That's the reason that I'm taking such precautionary measures and making sure he doesn't play so many games. I want him to be right, not only for this season but for next season as well."
The Lakers are 12-26 thus far and sit in last place in the Pacific Division and next host the disappointing Miami Heat (16-21) Tuesday night at the Staples Center.
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