Pau Gasol out at Least Three Games

Pau Gasol will sit out with a sprained left ankle when the Rockets play the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday for first place in the Western Conference. Gasol was injured in Friday’s loss to New Orleans and left the arena on crutches.

X-rays were negative, but the Lakers said the 7-foot Gasol will miss the Lakers’ remaining three games of a four-game road trip, at a minimum. Gasol has averaged 19 points and eight rebounds since coming to Los Angeles from Memphis.

"Obviously, we can’t run as many low-post opportunities as we had when Pau was here," Kobe Bryant said after practice on Saturday. "We’ve got to change it up." [ESPN]