Injury Bothers Bryant

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">EL SEGUNDO - Before the Lakers departed for their three-city road trip, Kobe Bryant was grounded again, the victim of a pesky groin strain that he aggravated Monday night against Miami.

Bryant sat out practice Tuesday and did some shooting but refrained from running and jumping. He is expected to play tonight in San Antonio, but appears to have suffered at least a mild setback.

"That's a bothersome thing," coach Phil Jackson said. "You hope he gets right through it and didn't go backward. He didn't think (the pain) had gone back to a position where it was before."

Bryant, who was not available for comment after practice, suffered the mild strain last Wednesday in Houston. He played a full complement of minutes in the past two games, even though his offensive game was noticeably limited, and he spent the majority of his minutes on the perimeter.

High standards: Many coaches shy away from setting specific goals for a series of games, but after the Miami victory, Jackson said he expects the Lakers to win three of their next five games.

That's no easy task, since the next three games are on the road against San Antonio, Dallas and always-troublesome New Orleans.

"I used to (set goals) with a team as sort of an incentive," Jackson said. "The reality is that this is a difficult stretch, but we have to find a way to be competitive in all of them and win some of them."

The Lakers are 18-4 at home but are inconsistent on the road, with a 7-9 record after consecutive losses at Memphis and Houston last week.

"We know we can play with the teams we're playing against," Luke Walton said. "We know we can do it, but we have to be ready." </div>

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