LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant will sit out Monday's game at Portland in an effort to help conserve energy for the 36-year-old shooting guard.

Bryant won't even travel to that game, which is the second of a back-to-back set. He will, however, play Sunday here against the Indiana Pacers.

"You guys might think he probably argued about it. But he said it sounds good to him," Lakers coach Byron Scott said before the game against the Indiana Pacers. "He stuck to his plan of 'whatever you want to do.'"

Fatigue became an issue for Bryant after playing heavy minutes and carrying the bulk of the offensive load through the first 27 games of the season.

Bryant shot a league-leading 22.4 shots per game during that span, but after sitting out three games to rest, he's averaging 11.7 attempts over the past three games.

Bryant was shooting 37.2 percent from the field before but is shooting 45.7 percent since he sat out. He's also averaging 9.3 rebounds and 8.7 assists over the past three games.

"It's still day by day," Scott said. "It depends on how he feels physically. This was pretty much a no-brainer."