ESPN.com is reporting Bryant will use three practices over the next week to determine if he's ready to come back against the Kings on Friday. The Lakers held an unexpected practice Saturday that included Bryant.
"I don't want to anticipate anything," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said, according to ESPN.com, after the Saturday practice. "Those are days that he can work and see, re-evaluate how he feels after the three days and then make a decision going forward.
"That doesn't mean he will play Friday, doesn't mean he won't. But that's the time you just evaluate, and I can't tell you what type of evaluation that will be."
Bryant signed a two-year, $48.5 million extension with the Lakers on Tuesday. He defended the team's decision on Twitter and said at the time he was still "probably weeks" away from returning to the court.
PIERCE, RANDOLPH OUT FOR GAME
The Brooklyn Nets and Memphis Grizzlies were both without key forwards Saturday, as Paul Pierce and Zach Randolph were out with injuries.
Pierce, the Nets' third-leading scorer with 12.4 points a game, has a bruised right hand. Brooklyn coach Jason Kidd says Pierce's hand is "a little swollen."
"They'll look at it and see how he feels (Sunday), but we thought it was best for him to get some rest," Kidd said.
The Grizzlies announced before the game that Randolph, their leading rebounder at 9.1 per game and second-leading scorer at 16.0 points, had surgery for an ingrown toenail earlier Saturday.
Randolph's injury is another blow to the Memphis front line. Center Marc Gasol is out indefinitely with a left knee sprain.
Contributors: Jason O. Boyd, The Associated Press
