Bryant Still Questionable Because of Flu

Flu-ridden Kobe Bryant made another failed run Thursday at trying to rejoin the Lakers, arriving for practice and lasting only through the film session before being sent to the doctor and being listed as questionable for Game 3 against the Seattle SuperSonics.

“I don’t know about that,” Coach Del Harris said when asked if he expected to have his reserve swingman tonight at the Great Western Forum. “Kobe couldn’t have played today. Usually, these things run their course. But you don’t know.”

Bryant sat out Wednesday’s 92-68 Laker victory at Seattle that tied the Western Conference semifinals at 1-1. He spent the first half in the locker room but came out with teammates to warm up before the start of the third quarter, only to spend the rest of the night on the bench, never taking off the sweatpants or shooting shirt.

Thursday, he reported feeling better as he arrived for practice. But Bryant soon worsened and was sent home before getting to the workout, with a stop en route to see team physician John Moe to get antibiotics.

No other players complained of similar symptoms, a very encouraging sign for the Lakers amid the possibility of flu sweeping the team during the playoffs.

“Are you kidding?” Harris said Thursday. “That’s the only thing I thought of last night.”

He worried whether the bug could move through his roster and about the options to separate Bryant from teammates during the two-hour flight home.

He wondered whether this thing could somehow be turned into a Laker advantage.

“I even thought of putting him in and having him rub all over Seattle’s guys,” Harris said.

He was kidding.

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It took the playoffs, but the Lakers have now won in every Western Conference city this season. They had gone 0-2 at Portland and Seattle, streaks that ended in the last week.

“It gives you confidence, is what it does,” Eddie Jones said of Thursday’s victory at KeyArena. “We didn’t beat this team here all year. That gives you confidence.”

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The 24-point difference in Game 2 marked the most lopsided postseason win for the Lakers in eight years, since May 10, 1990, against the Phoenix Suns.

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LAKER PLAYOFF STATISTICS

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PLAYER FG% FT% REB AST PTS O’Neal .625 .483 11.3 3.2 28.2 Jones .404 .773 3.8 1.7 13.8 Fox .492 .846 4.8 4.7 13.3 Van Exel .348 .571 2.7 4.0 10.8 Bryant .395 .684 2.6 2.4 9.8 Horry .500 .750 5.7 3.7 8.2 Campbell .593 .789 4.2 0.8 7.8 Fisher .419 .667 1.5 3.7 7.0 Blount .571 1.000 4.0 0.4 2.0 Rooks 1.000 -- 0.0 0.0 2.0 Bennett -- 1.000 1.0 0.0 1.0 Barry .000 -- 0.0 0.0 0.0 TEAM .486 .667 39.8 24.0 100.0 OPPONENTS .435 .767 39.8 24.0 95.5

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