Kobe Bryant to return against Suns

ByABC News
December 28, 2014, 4:56 PM

— -- Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant will return to the starting lineup Sunday against the Phoenix Suns after sitting out three games to rest.

"He said he felt much better," coach Byron Scott said. "He came in [Saturday] and got some shots up and he said he's moving pretty well. He kind of felt reenergized and today was kind of the same thing. He came in and got some shots up and got here early and did the same thing. I said, 'Are you ready to go?' and he said, 'Yeah.' That's basically it."

Scott said he'd like to limit Bryant to around 30 or so minutes of playing time after the 36-year-old had been complaining of fatigue and soreness in recent weeks. Bryant, in his 19th NBA season, is averaging a team-high 35.4 minutes per game.

"I'm just going to go by feel," Scott said when asked about Bryant's minutes. "I'm going to see how he's looking and how's the game going as well."

The Lakers went 1-2 without the future Hall of Famer, with the one win a surprise victory over the NBA-best Golden State Warriors.

Information from ESPNLosAngeles.com's Arash Markazi contributed to this report.