Byron Scott: ‘Exhausted’ Kobe Bryant misses Lakers’ shoot-around

Reporting from AUBURN HILLS, Mich. â€”  Kobe Bryant did not take part in the Lakers’ shoot-around Tuesday morning, staying at the team hotel mainly because he “looked exhaustedâ€� on the team flight Monday, Coach Byron Scott said.

Bryant will play against the Detroit Pistons, a Tuesday night matchup with two of the NBA’s worst teams.

Bryant had 31 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds Sunday in a 129-122 overtime victory against Toronto.

Bryant routinely sat out practices while dealing with knee troubles a few years ago, though his absence Tuesday wasn’t going to become a trend, Scott said.

“This has nothing to do with injury or anything like that,� he said. “This is all about trying to preserve his body as much as possible, letting him get as much rest [needed] because his recovery time is the most important thing right now. We want him to be as strong as he can be for the games.�

Bryant texted Scott before the team left for the shoot-around.

“He woke up this morning and was a little tired, wanted a little bit more rest. Nothing wrong with that,� Scott said.

Bryant is averaging 26.6 points and 35.9 minutes a game. His accuracy has been low, however, sitting at 39.2% before Tuesday’s game.

The Lakers (4-13) hold a four-game winning streak over the Pistons (3-14).

Twitter: @mike_bresnahan