Injures right index finger

Bryant injures his right index finger during a game against the Timberwolves. It is an avulsion fracture, in which a tiny fragment of bone tears away near a tendon or ligament. The injury occurs as Bryant reaches for a pass late in the first quarter. He sits out for most of the second quarter, but returns after halftime and continues playing. Bryant:

It’s pretty painful. I just tried to play through it. … You just get used to it, that’s all. It’s just a different technique to shoot the ball with this.