During L.A.’s final practice heading into its second-round series against the Houston Rockets, Phil Jackson confirmed that Kobe Bryant (sore throat) and Luke Walton (ankle) were both game-time decisions for the 7:30 p.m. Monday night tip.
Bryant missed Sunday’s practice, while Walton participated in limited fashion. Jackson did acknowledge that Walton has improved steadily on a day-by-day basis.
When asked about Bryant, Lamar Odom explained the plethora of times he’s seen Bryant play through both sickness and injury, particularly in the playoffs, and was confident L.A. would have No. 24 on the court.
In other news, Jackson added that there is a 90 percent chance that Andrew Bynum would start against Yao Ming, and generally confirmed that L.A. is well aware of the high level of focus the Rockets warrant. The Lakers seem well aware that they’ll need to bring the tough-minded physical approach that was employed in four regular season victories against the Rockets.
