Kobe out for second game in a row, won't play against Suns

PHOENIX – The Los Angeles Lakers will be without Kobe Bryant for the second game in a row when they face the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.

Bryant missed a game for the first time this season when he sat out the Lakers' victory over Sacramento on Sunday night because of a sprained left ankle.

He was injured last week in the waning seconds of a loss to Atlanta. Bryant, the fifth-leading scorer in NBA history, played the first quarter in Indiana on Friday night, but sat out the final three quarters of Los Angeles' victory.

The Lakers entered Monday's play with a one-game lead over Utah for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.