LOS ANGELES – NBA scoring leader Kobe Bryant will sit out his fourth consecutive game to rest his bruised shin.
Coach Mike Brown said after shootaround that the Los Angeles Lakers' superstar guard will miss Friday's home game against the Denver Nuggets.
Bryant hasn't played since scoring 28 points in a loss to Houston on April 6. He sat out the Lakers' three-game road trip over the past week.
Bryant is closing in on his third NBA scoring title, averaging 28.1 points while playing in each of the Lakers' first 56 games. Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, who won the NBA's last two scoring titles, is second with 27.5 points per game.
Los Angeles is 2-1 in Bryant's absence, beating San Antonio on Wednesday. The Lakers (37-22) lead the Pacific Division by one game.
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