Lakers-Clippers Preview

A scary injury to a finger on his shooting hand didn't stop Kobe Bryant from leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a victory over one of the best teams in the NBA.

Although the reigning league MVP doesn't expect to miss any time, Los Angeles could probably win without him on Wednesday.

The Lakers look to build off their latest victory as they try to continue their dominance over the Los Angeles Clippers, one of the worst clubs in the league.

In a matchup of two of the top teams in the NBA, the Western Conference-leading Lakers (32-8) defeated Cleveland 105-88 at home on Monday, thanks to a gutsy performance from Bryant.

The 10-time All-Star finished with 20 points, 12 assists and six rebounds in 41 minutes despite dislocating the ring finger on his shooting hand less than two minutes into the game.

"I just dove for the ball, and the finger just popped out," said Bryant, who shot 9-of-22 from the floor. "I was scared, I thought I was done. It felt like I had two fingers on one, it was just disgusting. (Trainer) Gary (Vitti) just popped it back into place. Not fun."

Bryant spoke to reporters just minutes after X-rays showed no fracture. He said he hadn't sustained this kind of injury before, but didn't believe he would miss any time.

While Bryant plans to play Wednesday, the Lakers could probably get by without him.

The Lakers have won six straight games over the Clippers (9-31) by an average of 26.6 points since a 118-110 loss on April 12, 2007.

The Lakers played the Clippers twice in their first four games, beating them 117-79 on Oct. 29 and 106-88 on Nov. 5 -- the closest game between these teams during the Lakers' winning streak.

The Lakers have been winning with such ease, Bryant has hardly been needed. He had 27 points against the Clippers in November after scoring no more than 17 in the previous four meetings.

The Lakers have limited their crosstown rivals to just 38.7 percent shooting in the two victories this season.

The Lakers aren't the only team that has had success stopping the Clippers.

After defeating Milwaukee 101-86 on Saturday to snap a season-high 12-game losing streak, the Clippers lost to Minnesota 94-86 on Monday. It was the 11th time in their last 14 games that the Clippers were held to fewer than 100 points.

The Clippers are one of the worst offensive teams in the league (93.0 points per game), while the Lakers are first in scoring (107.6).

Coach Mike Dunleavy used only eight players on Monday, as Marcus Camby joined a lengthy list of injured Clippers.

Camby, the league's second-leading rebounder (13.8), missed his first game of the season because of a sprained left ankle. He joined fellow injured Clippers Zach Randolph, Baron Davis, Chris Kaman, Mike Taylor and Jason Hart.

"It's tough because we do not have all of our players on the court," Dunleavy said. "When you do, you know exactly who you are going to. Some of the guys we have out there have not been in that position, but I was pleased with our effort."