Updated: April 13, 2012, 3:23 PM ET
By Dave McMenamin | ESPNLosAngeles.comEL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant will not play against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, Lakers coach Mike Brown said. It will be the fourth straight game Bryant has sat out because of inflammation in his left shin.
Brown would not venture a guess as to whether Bryant would be available to play Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks. However, Brown was optimistic about the direction that Bryant's rehabilitation was going in.
"He's improving," Brown said. "He definitely is improving."
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Bryant's status remains day to day, according to the team.
The Lakers had the day off Thursday, but Bryant came into the team's practice facility to receive treatment on his shin. Bryant did not participate in shootaround Friday, using the time to undergo more treatment.
Bryant, the NBA's scoring leader, suffered the injury on March 31 when he was kicked in the shin during the first quarter of the Lakers' 88-85 win over the New Orleans Hornets.
The Lakers have gone 2-1 in the first three games of Bryant's absence, suffering their worst loss of the season in a 125-105 defeat to the Phoenix Suns before winning their next two, 93-91 over the Hornets and 98-84 over the San Antonio Spurs.
"There's really no (need for) adjustments," Brown said when asked about the Lakers' game plan without Bryant. "We just keep playing the way we're playing. Kobe did a great job when he was playing with us, kind of just fitting in and knowing when to pick and choose his spots. The reality of it is, Kobe has been around the game a long time so when he was playing, I didn't call a ton of plays for him. I start calling plays for him toward the end of the game more than anything else and he just finds spots or finds shots throughout the course of the game.
"So, for us obviously without Kobe it's a big blow from the standpoint that he's a big-time closer, but other than that our guys have an understanding of how we feel we want to play the game of basketball as a team, no matter who is in the lineup."
The Lakers are 2-1 on the season against the Nuggets. In the one loss, Bryant struggled mightily, shooting just 6-for-28 from the floor as Denver won 99-90.
The Lakers have a one game lead over the Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoff standings. Denver is in the No. 8 spot. Five of the Lakers' remaining seven games in the regular season are against teams that would qualify for the postseason if the playoffs started Friday.
"We understand we have a tough schedule to finish off the season and every game should be valuable for us to get better and get ready for the playoffs," said Pau Gasol.
Dave McMenamin
ESPNLosAngeles.comDave McMenamin spent five seasons as a staff writer for NBA.com in New York and Los Angeles before joining ESPNLosAngeles.com to cover the Lakers and the NBA.
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