NBA: Kobe Bryant seriously hurt in LA Lakers' win over Golden State
The Los Angeles Lakers' vital victory over Golden State on Friday was marred by a serious injury blow for Kobe Bryant.
Last Updated: 13/04/13 11:33pm
Bryant believes he tore his Achilles with three minutes left of the eventual 118-116 win that kept the Lakers' play-off hopes alive.
If confirmed it will be the end of the season for Bryant, with just two games remaining on the regular calendar before the play-offs.
The 34-year-old said he felt a "pop" as he tried to beat Harrison Barnes to the outside, and although the diagnosis of the injury is yet to come, the veteran already fears the worst.
"I felt like I got kicked. It is a move I make a million times and pop," Bryant said. "Just a freak situation I guess.
"I can't walk. I tried to put pressure on my heel see if I can do it that way and there is nothing there. I had no Achilles, that is the sensation. MRI, surgery and then recovery.
"I never had to deal with something like this. It is a new experience for me."
Until the injury, Bryant had scored 34 points on 9-for-21 shooting, hitting four three-pointers as the Lakers desperately tried to cope with a hot-shooting Stephen Curry.
Curry blew up his stat-line with 47 points, hitting nine shots from beyond the arc, adding six rebounds and nine assists for good measure, and Klay Thompson weighed in with 25 points.
But they were unable to hold on to the five-point lead they took into the final period, with Bryant getting some excellent support from Pau Gasol, who had a triple-double with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, anda 28-point haul from Dwight Howard.
The key points came 42 seconds from the end as Steve Blake hit a couple of free-throws, and the Lakers defense held strong in the closing seconds to improve their record to 43-37 and keep their one-game lead over Utah in the race for the No 9 seed in the Western Conference.
