Despite being sidelined, Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers squad beat the Dallas Mavericks 112-108 in overtime.
Recovering from an inflammation in his left shin, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant sat out of the lineup for a fifth straight game. Bryant missed only his 100th game during a sixteen year NBA career.
"It's feeling a lot better," said Bryant in an interview with ABC when asked about his injury. "It's important to kind of get a rhythm and try to get things in sync a little bit and find a little groove."
The win over Dallas would be the Lakers fourth consecutive win without their superstar. The Lakers had to rally from 10 points down during the first half. It appeared that the Lakers had things under control until the Mavericks struck back to tie the game 98-98 at the end of regulation.
Several key plays in overtime sealed the victory for Los Angel with Pau Gasol draining a couple 3 pointers and Metta World Peace making the go ahead basket.
"This team eliminated us last year and they're the champs right now," said the Lakers' Pau Gasol. "It was a good quality win for us. If we face them again, I don't know if this 4-0 in the regular season will be worth a whole lot."
The Lakers dominated over the defending NBA champs by sweeping the regular season series 4-0. With five games left in the 2011-2012 season, Los Angeles will hope to welcome back Kobe Bryant before the postseason begins. Bryant hinted that he may be joining the starting lineup sometime before the playoffs.
"I'll definitely be back well before the playoffs," said Bryant.
Bryant didn't provide any official dates for his return to the floor. The team may be in no rush as it secured a spot in the playoffs. With a record of 39-22, the Lakers are currently ranked third in the Western Conference.
