Timberwolves Vs. Lakers: Kobe Bryant Goes For 31 In 105-85 Rout

Kobe Bryant did not seem to be feeling the effects of his All-Star Game injury on Wednesday night when the Los Angeles Lakers easily-handled the Minnesota Timberwolves, 104-85.

The masked Bryant scored 31 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished eight assists. Andrew Bynum added 13 points and 13 rebounds as well.

The Wolves played without All-Star Kevin Love, who missed the game due to sickness and not the rib and back injuries that caused him to miss playing time in the Clippers game. In his place, Minnesota was led by Michael Beasley (14 points) and Martell Webster (14 points).

Ricky Rubio only scored three but made the highlight of the night on a through-the-legs pass past Derek Fisher.

Minnesota plays the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, the third game of a three games in three nights road trip. Hopefully they'll have Kevin Love back in the line-up.

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Kevin Love Injury: Late Scratch In Lakers Due To Illness, Not Back Or Ribs

Kevin Love suffered a couple of injuries in Tuesday night's victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, but they weren't expected to hamper him heading into Wednesday's affair against the Lakers. They didn't, either, but the Minnesota Timberwolve All-Star was still scratched for the match-up.

Love wasn't held out of Wednesday night's game due to the rib and back injuries that caused him to miss playing time in the Clippers game, according to the Star Tribune's Jerry Zgoda, but instead because he was sick.

Love's back and ribs are fine after he got them banged up in Tuesday's victory over the Clippers, but he's inactive tonight because he's feeling ill, what the team is calling your classic "flu-like symptoms."

Derrick Williams started in Love's place, fresh off of a career-high 27 point outing, but hopefully Love isn't out for too long as the Wolves finish their three road games in three nights stint on Thursday against the Phoenix Suns.

For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out Canis Hoopus. For more on the Los Angeles Lakers, check out Silver Screen And Roll. For more on the NBA in general, head to the SB Nation NBA hub.

Timberwolves Vs. Lakers: Kobe Bryant Expected To Play Against Minnesota

Kobe Bryant is expected to play against the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday night, despite suffering a broken nose and a concussion after a hard foul by Dwyane Wade in the All-Star Game.

Bryant has been "symptom-free" since Tuesday afternoon, according to Los Angeles Lakers spokesman John Black. He still had one more test to pass before he was cleared to play, however.

It's an NBA requirement to be symptom free for 24 hours ahead of a game in order for a player with a concussion to play, a policy new this season. Bryant also passed three further tests, one on a bicycle, one on a treadmill and what's known as an Axon test - a baseline test for cognitive function - on Wednesday. Another portion of the test comes on the basketball court, in which Bryant played 2-on-2 subsequent to Black's address to the media.

It'll be interesting to see what happens when the two teams take the floor on Wednesday night.

For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out Canis Hoopus. For more on Kobe and the Lakers, head to Silver Screen And Roll.

Kobe Bryant Injury: Lakers' Status In Doubt For Timberwolves Game

Concussions are serious business these days in the world of sport. The NHL and NFL have both started to crack down hard on concussive hits in the last couple of years and pretty much every other sport has their own measures in place these days.

One of those measures for the NBA could keep Kobe Bryant from playing against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night, as Pro Basketball Talk's Kurt Helin wrote Tuesday morning.

After being hit hard by Dwyane Wade during the All Star Game, Kobe suffered both a broken nose and a concussion. Before the season, every player in the NBA was required to take a special test to determine their reaction times, and are forced to take it once again after a concussion is sustained. If their reaction times are worse than they were pre-season, the player may be forced to sit out.

We all know Kobe would gladly play through any symptoms, but it's not up to him at this point.

Kobe sitting out of the game would be a decided advantage to the Timberwolves, who are looking to beat the Lakers for the first time in a long time. The Lakers losing the best scorer in the league would certainly help them out with that.

For more on the Minnesota Timberwolves, check out Canis Hoopus. For more on Kobe and the Lakers, head to Silver Screen And Roll.

Timberwolves Vs. Lakers: Minnesota Meet Los Angeles, Who Might Be Missing Kobe Bryant

The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Clippers in Staples Center on Tuesday, and now face the Lakers in the same building on Wednesday, trying to beat a very old losing streak against LA.