Lakers G Bryant day-to-day with hyperextended knee

Oct 22, 2008 - 11:02 PM LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Reigning league MVP Kobe Bryant has a hyperextended knee, and is day-to-day, according to Wednesday's Los Angeles Times.

Bryant, who suffered the injury in the Los Angeles Lakers' 102-98 win over Charlotte on Tuesday, says he hopes to play Thursday against the Bobcats. He sustained the injury when he bumped into teammate Josh Powell and landed awkwardly while trying to rebound teammate Sun Yue's missed shot.

He scored four points in 14 minutes before leaving.

"My knee just went back and I felt a little crunch, a little pop," Bryant told the paper. "I was worried. That's the scariest part, is just sitting there for five or 10 minutes and waiting to see what's going to develop."

It was a tense moment for Bryant and the Lakers, who have championship aspirations. The Lakers lost the NBA Finals in six games to the Boston Celtics last season.

"I saw the ring flash before my eyes," he said, a reference to Los Angeles' title hopes.

Bryant did not practice on Wednesday, but may play Thursday.

"If I'm good enough to go, I'm going to go. I don't see why not," he told the paper.

Bryant already had injury concerns entering this season, as the star guard had decided not to have surgery on his injured right pinkie. The two-time scoring champion has long refused a surgical procedure on the digit - which has been injured since February - if it meant missing any regular-season contests.

Los Angeles opens the regular season against the Portland Trail Blazers on October 28, and Bryant said, "I should be fine."