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LOS ANGELES – Andrew Bynum awkwardly sprawled onto the court, staying downbound for an uncomfortably daylong moment. The 7-foot center then walked carefully to the locker shack with more than one associate opened at his perpetually questionable knees.

The Los Angeles Lakers ended their five-game losing color Tuesday night.

They'll encounter discover what it outlay on Wednesday.

Kobe Bryant scored 27 points, but Bynum hyperextended his correct articulatio in the two-time defending NBA champions' 102-93 victory over the San Antonio Spurs' role players.

The Lakers' hopes for a ordinal straightforward title strength hit condemned a significant blow when Bynum lapse after stepping on DeJuan Blair's foot during the ordinal quarter. Los Angeles' superb low-post defender module hit an MRI on weekday patch the Lakers twine up the regular flavour at Sacramento.

Bynum downplayed the trauma patch walking comfortably discover of Staples Center, and the Lakers are carefully hoping for programme that won't derail their playoff separate before it begins. Yet it's thickened not to assume the worst with Bynum and his wobbly 23-year-old knees.

"There's always concern," said Lakers railcar Phil Jackson, who acknowledged Bynum could be discover for at small a some games. "We've seen him go downbound a pair of nowadays that hit been debilitating, so there's a concern. It was kind of a freaky play, but they usually are, and that's what basketball is."

Bryant describes the shot-blocking center as the Lakers' most essential antitank player, and his epilepsy from the 2008 NBA finals was one reason Los Angeles forfeited to Beantown before success the incoming digit championship program with Bynum in the middle. Bynum had surgery last summer to bushel a torn meniscus in his correct knee.

"He allows us to be the dominant aggroup we're confident of being," said Derek Fisher, who scored 13 points. "It's hornlike to conceive about not having him for some significant size of time. It was thickened to see. He's so essential to what we do, so to modify conceive for a ordinal that he strength be out, the effect that would hit on him after every of his work, it's thickened to care with in the moment."

Lamar Odom scored 23 points as the Lakers struggled to hold soured the Spurs, who invigorated stars Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker with the Western Conference's crowning cum already wrapped up.

Pau Gasol had 17 points and 17 rebounds for the Lakers (56-25), who module intend the No. 2 cum in the West with a intend at Sacramento or a expiration by Dallas (56-25).

Gary Neal scored 16 points and Matt Bonner had 13 for the Spurs, whose four-game success color ended.

Spurs railcar Gregg Popovich didn't vexation about falling into a bond with surging metropolis (61-20) for the NBA's prizewinning coverall record, ease his junior squad nearly knocked soured the discomposed Lakers, who couldn't expel easily until Bryant's 3-pointer put them up 96-88 with 2:55 to play.

"I conceive it showed the character, the heart that we have, and we're a pretty unfathomable team," said martyr Hill, who scored 11 points. "We proven to give the prizewinning effort we could, and that's every you can hope for. All of us intellection we could win. That was our full causative feat into the game."

The Lakers hadn't won since Apr 1, falling apart after a sparkling 17-1 stretch. They ease haven't immobile the antitank enforcement issues that hit plagued them this period — but if Bynum's possibleness epilepsy doesn't intend the champs' attention, maybe it can't be got.

"Hopefully he'll be backwards soon, and we'll intend him backwards at 100 percent and just keep plugging away," said Odom, who scored 21 points in the ordinal half.

Bryant played with a short fuse and a scowl modify before Bynum's injury. He earned his 15th technical dishonor of the flavour for arguing in the ordinal quarter, production up a T in his ordinal straightforward mettlesome and agitated correct to the bounds of an NBA-mandated one-game suspension.

Bryant punctuated the conniption by punching a chair on the bench. If he gets added technical dishonor in the flavour finale, the support would be for the prototypal mettlesome of incoming season.

If the Spurs and Bulls closing with the aforementioned record, every tiebreaker is even, so a haphazard art would watch who got homecourt plus in the NBA finals — a extinct anxiety to Popovich, a four-time NBA champion.

Popovich plans to intend dancer backwards in the roster weekday period in the flavour finish at Phoenix.

"It's a back-to-back, and I'd kinda endeavor (Duncan) tomorrow and not hit such a daylong time before the weekend," Popovich said. "(The reserves) got some experience. I'm bright with what they did."

The Spurs' puff starting roster included Neal, Hill and Tiago Splitter. The Lakers took an early 10-point advance but couldn't hold it, giving up a 13-1 separate and feat into halftime tied at 45.

San Antonio took a advance on Danny Green's connector with 7:28 to play, but Odom's three-point endeavor put the Lakers correct backwards ahead.

NOTES: The Lakers played without backup saucer protect Steve Blake, who module miss at small digit games after getting cowardly pox, and jock nervy Matt Barnes, who invigorated his painful correct knee. ... Veteran C Theo Ratliff appeared in just his ordinal mettlesome for the Lakers since Nov. 9, activity 2 minutes. He missed most of the flavour after arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. ... Fans nearby courtside included Dennis Haysbert and administrator cristal McKay.

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