Byron Scott: ‘Exhausted’ Kobe Bryant misses Lakers’ shoot-around

Kobe Bryant did not take part in the Lakers’ shoot-around Tuesday morning, staying at the team hotel mainly because he “looked exhausted” on the team flight Monday, Coach Byron Scott said.

Bryant will play against the Detroit Pistons, a Tuesday night matchup with two of the NBA’s worst teams.

Bryant had 31 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds Sunday in a 129-122 overtime victory against Toronto.

Bryant routinely sat out practices while dealing with knee troubles a few years ago, though his absence Tuesday wasn’t going to become a trend, Scott said.

“This has nothing to do with injury or anything like that,” he said. “This is all about trying to preserve his body as much as possible, letting him get as much rest [needed] because his recovery time is the most important thing right now. We want him to be as strong as he can be for the games.”

Bryant texted Scott before the team left for the shoot-around.

“He woke up this morning and was a little tired, wanted a little bit more rest. Nothing wrong with that,” Scott said.

Bryant is averaging 26.6 points and 35.9 minutes a game. His accuracy has been low, however, sitting at 39.2% before Tuesday’s game.

The Lakers (4-13) hold a four-game winning streak over the Pistons (3-14).

Twitter: @mike_bresnahan