Lakers' Bryant playing through sore shin

The pain in Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant’s left shin, which he has been nursing the past two games, has flared up so much that he was wearing a boot after Wednesday’s game to help protect the shin, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Bryant, according to the newspaper, brushed off his wearing the protective boot as a “fashion statement” after scoring 31 points in the Lakers’ 113-108 victory Wednesday over the Clippers.

Yet, as he made his way out of the entrance tunnel of the Staples Center, he was limping noticeably, according to the Times.

In his fourth game in five nights, Bryant, 33, wore a shin guard for the second consecutive game and was favoring the leg by halftime. According to the Times, he also had kinesio tape covering the shin before the game.

Bryant carved up the Clippers on 13-of-19 shooting, including a key 22-foot fallaway jumper that gave the Lakers a 110-106 lead with 24.5 seconds to play Wednesday.

Afterward, coach Mike Brown reminded reporters that's "just what he does."

"I'm not surprised because I've seen it a lot in a short amount of time with him," Brown said. "But he's a great player. Great players are supposed to make great plays."