Kobe Bryant out vs. Bulls on Christmas Day

The Los Angeles Lakers will be without Kobe Bryant for the second straight game as he's resting due to general soreness in his knees, Achilles and body. That means no Christmas Day basketball from Kobe Bryant as they take on the Chicago Bulls, despite Kobe making the trip with the Lakers.

His absence comes as a surprise, as it seemed likely he'd be a lock once he traveled to Chicago over the holiday, but that is not the case. It's good to see the Kobe's willingness to take a step back and get some much-needed rest, especially as he's averaged 35.4 minutes per game through the first portion of the season. It's never good to hear a 36-year-old basketball player is dealing with knee soreness this early in the year, though.

The Lakers managed themselves well enough without Kobe Bryant against the Golden State Warriors, and will have to do so again against Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol and the Bulls. The bigger question is whether Kobe will be ready to suit up against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday in the second-half of this back-to-back.