Bryant Is Doubtful for March 2

The Lakers expect Kobe Bryant to miss their March 2 game against the Atlanta Hawks because of a motions hearing in Eagle, Colo.

In a recent meeting with Phil Jackson, Bryant did not rule out arriving in Atlanta in time despite a long flight and a two-hour time change, but Jackson said Sunday they agreed it would be best to assume Bryant would play the next night in Houston.

Bryant, charged with felony sexual assault, has attended all but one hearing, the lone exception when he was ill. He has four hearings scheduled next month: March 1, 2, 24 and 25. The Lakers play host to Sacramento on March 24.

Although Bryant attended a hearing Dec. 19 and returned to Los Angeles in time for a game the same night, there was no hearing the next morning, as there will be March 25.

Jackson’s main concern appears to be Bryant’s mental and physical health during the times around the hearings.

“It’s going to be his call,” he said. “That’s one of the things we talked about. ... There’s a certain responsibility he’s got to meet at the other end of the stick.”

When Bryant had back-to-back hearings earlier in the month, his plans became vague, apparently because of travel and illness issues, and the Lakers have asked for better communication.

Next week, the Lakers have given Bryant the option of simply flying to Houston, they hope leaving him better rested.

“There’s also the mental equation of going into something like that that has to be personal judgment,” Jackson said.

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It had been a long time since Jackson laid the state of the Bryant-Shaquille O’Neal relationship at the feet of the media, but he went there Sunday night, when asked whether he was surprised at their recent chummy play.

“All I see is the interplay between these guys inside our community,” he said. “There’s always a lot of communication between those two players.

“That’s all we see. We don’t see any of the ... jealousy created by the press or appearances. We anticipate they can play together when they want to play together and championships can come as a result.”

General Manager Mitch Kupchak said the All-Star break had become a traditional dividing line for the veteran Lakers, where they leave the grudges of the first half behind.

“That’s how we’ve operated the last three or four years,” he said. “Everybody’s now kind of expressed their feelings, and instinctively it kicks in.”

On ESPN before Sunday’s game against the Phoenix Suns, Bryant said his relationship with Jackson and O’Neal was “not important to us,” and that those attempting to analyze their interaction “have way too much time on their hands if they read into that.”

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Kareem Rush has a bruised right foot, according to an MRI exam and a CAT scan taken Saturday. He played 14 minutes Sunday, scoring seven points.... Luke Walton strained his left knee in Saturday’s practice, took some treatment for it Sunday and said he was in no discomfort before the Lakers’ game against the Suns. ... Horace Grant played three minutes Friday night because of what he believed to be a 24-hour flu. Since then, he slept a lot, tried to stomach some food and tried not to think about what it was like to play while so ill. “It was nasty,” he said. “I was just so weak.” He played 29 minutes Sunday.