Painful Victory

Kobe Bryant sat down hard in the back of a golf cart, folded the wooden crutches across his lap and was carted away from the Laker locker room, a means of transportation feared most by Laker officials.

One of the Lakers’ worst visions became reality Thursday night, with Bryant crumpled on the floor, clutching his right ankle and getting carried off the court in front of a silent crowd of 18,997 at Staples Center.

Bryant, second in the league in scoring, went up for a rebound midway through the first quarter, came down on the foot of Cleveland Cavalier guard Ira Newble and was diagnosed with a severely sprained ankle. X-rays were negative, and Bryant will undergo an MRI exam today.

Without Bryant, the Lakers managed to defeat Cleveland, 98-94, and were buoyed, at least temporarily, by 24 points from forward Lamar Odom.

Bryant has had shoulder, knee and foot injuries in his nine-year career, but none were as painful as the one sustained Thursday.

“It’s the worst one I’ve ever had,” Bryant said. “Crunching, instant throbbing. A lot of pain right now. I can’t hop on one leg. My foot, when it’s not weight-bearing, kind of jiggles a little bit, and that hurts like crazy.

“This one might be weeks, bro. It doesn’t feel like a day-to-day thing.”

Bryant said he would be ready for the results of the MRI exam, whatever they may bring.

“Worst you can get is have a couple of tears in there,” he said. “It’s not season-ending by any means. It’s just rest and recuperation. The guys will hold down the fort, I have no doubt.”

The score was tied, 15-15, when Bryant went down with 5:39 left in the first quarter. He did not put any weight on his right foot as he was helped off the court by forward Brian Grant and trainer Gary Vitti.

“Everybody has to play that much better,” Odom said. “One of the best players in the league goes down, we’ll have to play better team basketball.”

The injury was the latest to befall Bryant, who has been hit with a variety of sprains and strains since being diagnosed two months ago with plantar fasciitis in his left foot. He has also sustained a strained left shoulder and a sprained right thumb this season.

But the severity of the sprained ankle has topped all of them.

“It’s the most pain I’ve ever seen him in, by far,” said Laker spokesman John Black, who followed Bryant into the locker room.

In the short term, it meant another delay in the showdown between Bryant and LeBron James. All told, Bryant and James have been on the court together for a little more than 20 minutes in three games.

Bryant sustained a sprained right shoulder last season against Cleveland at Staples Center and left in the second quarter. He did not play in the Lakers’ game in Cleveland a month later because he had sustained a cut finger.

James, in his second season, had 28 points Thursday for the Cavaliers, who came into the game with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.

The Lakers led, 94-88, after two free throws by Caron Butler with 22.4 seconds left, but three-pointers by Jeff McInnis and James brought the Cavaliers to within 95-94. Butler made only one of two free throws, but James’ three-pointer in the final seconds was no good and Odom’s free throws clinched it.

Odom looked more assertive than usual, taking the ball to the basket often and making eight of 17 shots, the most attempts he has had since joining the Lakers.

Bryant has played all 82 regular-season games only once, in 2002-03. He underwent surgery on his shoulder and knee after that season.

The Lakers probably will activate rookie guard Tony Bobbitt for their next game, Saturday at Golden State.