NBA-National Basketball Association roundup

Dec 19 (The Sports Xchange) - The Los Angeles Lakers announced Thursday that Kobe Bryant fractured a bone in his left knee and is expected to be sidelined for six weeks. An MRI revealed the damage, which is projected to keep Bryant off the court until February. It is the same leg that underwent surgery earlier this year for a torn Achilles tendon. The 35-year-old veteran sustained the injury while making contact with Memphis' Tony Allen in the third quarter of Tuesday night's game. Bryant stayed in the game, playing 33 minutes in the Lakers' 96-92 victory over the Grizzlies. He matched his season high with 21 points. "It's too bad," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said at practice. "You hate it for Kobe. He worked so hard to get back. But he'll be back. He'll be back in six weeks, and we'll deal with it and weather the storm until he gets back." Bryant had played in six games this season since he returned from the torn Achilles suffered in April. He was averaging 13.8 points, 6.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 29.5 minutes per game. Bryant's loss is the latest among Lakers guards. Steve Nash, Steve Blake and Jordan Farmar are all sidelined with injuries. The Lakers said Xavier Henry will take over the point guard duties. - - - The NBA's top-selling jersey is the No. 6 worn by league MVP LeBron James of the Miami Heat. In sales rankings released Thursday from adidas and NBAStore.com, James was ahead of the Lakers' Kobe Bryant. The fourth-quarter sales figures account for Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping, which the NBA announced were record days. In the number three spot is Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose, who is sidelined with a knee injury after missing all of last season. Rose is followed by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant and New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony. It's the fifth time that James has topped the league's domestic jersey sales list. He also has the most popular jersey worldwide. (Editing by Gene Cherry)