National Basketball Association

Kobe won't play vs. Spurs on Tuesday

Published Apr. 17, 2012 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Lakers star Kobe Bryant will miss his sixth straight game Tuesday night due to a nagging shin injury.

Head coach Mike Brown confirmed the league's leading scorer will sit out against San Antonio at Staples Center, but stressed Bryant is getting closer to returning.

"He's done some one-on-one stuff, and he's starting to move around a little bit pretty good," Brown said, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The 33-year-old Bryant is dealing with a case of tenosynovitis, or inflamed tendons, in his left shin, suffering the injury March 31 in a win over New Orleans.

With its playoff position secure and the team reeling off four straight victories without the five-time NBA champion, Brown is content to let Bryant rest until his shin is pain-free.

In his 16th year, Bryant is averaging an NBA-best 28.1 points, his highest total since 2007-08, on 43 percent shooting.

Bryant played with a fractured right index finger during the Lakers' run to the 2010 title and had already been playing this season with a torn ligament in his left wrist.

The Lakers are currently in third place in the Western Conference at 39-22, with five games remaining in the regular season.