The Los Angeles Lakers will again have to make due without their star player, as Kobe Bryant suffered a leg injury in Tuesday’s victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. The team announced that Bryant suffered a fracture of the lateral tibial plateau in his left knee, an injury that is expected to keep him out for at least six weeks.

Bryant was injured during the first half of the Grizzlies game, on a play where there was contact between Bryant and Tony Allen. Bryant stayed in the game and played on despite the pain. An MRI on Thursday confirmed the injury. The injury is to the same leg where Bryant suffered his Achilles injury last season.

Bryant had recently returned to the Lakers lineup after missing the first 19 games of the season recovering from that Achilles tendon rupture that he suffered late last season. The Lakers were 10-9 without Bryant. The Lakers are just 2-4 in the six games Bryant has played as he was working to get his game back into form after the long layoff.

The 35-year old Bryant has averaged 13.8 points and 6.3 assists in limited minutes in those six games.

Meanwhile, point guard Steve Nash is expected to miss another four weeks with nerve pain related to the foot injury he suffered last season. Also missing from the Laker lineup is Jordan Farmer, who will be out at least another week as he recovers from a torn hamstring.

Laker’s coach Mike D’Antoni was obviously upset upon hearing the news, saying, “You hate it for Kobe. He’s worked so hard to get back.”

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