against Pittsburgh, to earn a top-four seed and double-

LOS ANGELES -- The injury-ridden Los Angeles Lakers already have spent so much time playing without Kobe Bryant, losing him again for an extended period wont take them in uncharted territory. Xavier Henry, the fourth player to start at point guard this season for coach Mike DAntoni, scored 21 points and the Lakers began another long stretch without their 15-time All-Star by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 104-91 Friday night. Bryant is expected to miss at least six weeks because of a fracture in his left knee, which occurred Tuesday night at Memphis when he fell to the court late in the third quarter of the Lakers 96-92 win. The NBAs fourth all-time leading scorer finished that game, hitting a clutch 3-pointer to help seal the win. But an MRI on Thursday revealed the injury. Bryant missed the first 19 games of the season while recovering from surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon, an injury that occurred on April 12 -- with two games left before the playoffs. "It just prepared us," Henry said. "I mean, we started without him, and right now unfortunately were without him again. But we know we can play. We know we can win games, and we have the confidence that we have other people that can do the job." The Lakers returned from a 2-2 road trip and ended a three-game home losing streak. Pau Gasol, the only player to start all 26 games for the Lakers, had 21 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. Reserve Nick Young scored 25 points, including a 4-point play that gave the Lakers a lead after Corey Brewer fouled him behind the arc with 2:37 left in the third quarter. "We played to our strengths," Henry said. "I mean, me and Nick can attack them in different ways. Jodie Meeks can shoot it, and weve got a guy like Pau whos a really good playmaker." Bryant, who last month signed a two-year, $48.5 million contract extension at age 35, made his return Dec. 8 and played just six games -- all in 10 days. The 18-year veteran averaged over 32 minutes in the last three while shifting to point guard because of injuries to Steve Nash, Steve Blake and Jordan Farmar. The 39-year-old Nash, a two-time MVP who hasnt played since Nov. 10 because of back and hamstring issues, has played as many games as Bryant -- and will remain sidelined at least four more weeks with nerve root irritation in his back. Blake missed his fifth game because of a torn ligament in his right elbow, and Farmar sat out his eighth due to a torn left hamstring. DAntoni used his 11th starting lineup, and Henry shot 8 for 19 and had four assists in 42 minutes. As a team, the Lakers had 27 assists despite the absence of a bona fide point guard. "They understand the moment and they understand that this is their opportunity," DAntoni said. Kevin Love scored 20 of his 25 points in the first half and grabbed 13 rebounds for Minnesota, but was held scoreless in the fourth quarter. The Lakers broke open a tight game with 3-pointers by Gasol and Young to help extend their lead to 100-91 with 2 minutes remaining. They outscored Minnesota 9-0 over the final 3:18. Nikola Pekovic had 22 points and 13 boards, but Brewer finished with just five points after missing all eight field goal attempts. Point guard Ricky Rubio missed the morning shootaround because he wasnt feeling well. He played 30 minutes, finishing with six points, seven assists and six rebounds. Love powered the Timberwolves to a 53-51 halftime lead, fueling an 18-3 run with seven points in a 1:50 span to help turn an 11-point deficit into a 51-47 lead in the final minute of the second quarter. "No energy. We have to be better than that," Minnesota coach Rick Adelman said. "They outworked us all night long. It was a poor game on our part. " NOTES: Henry was the 12th overall pick in the 2012 draft, by Memphis. His older brother C.J. was the 17th overall pick in the 2005 baseball draft, by the Yankees. ... This is the first time since moving from Minneapolis to Los Angeles that the Lakers have failed to go more than a game over .500 through their first 26 games in back-to-back seasons. ... Love has fouled out only once in 313 NBA games. It was against the Lakers on Jan. 30, 2009 -- as a reserve -- in a 132-119 loss at Minnesota. Cheap Jose Canseco Jersey . -- Canadian mens rugby coach Kieran Crowley has made four changes to his starting roster for Saturdays Pacific Nations Cup clash against the United States. Cheap MLB Jerseys . -- Raiders wide receiver Jacoby Ford made it through a third straight practice without any setbacks and expects to play in Oaklands regular-season finale against San Diego. http://www.cheapathleticsjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-tony-phillips-jersey . Watch the announcement live on TSN.ca at 12:30pm et/9:30am pt. This years honourees will be recognized at the 2014 Hockey Canada Foundation Celebrity Classic, scheduled for June 23-24 in Vancouver. Cheap Joe Morgan Jersey . "Today was a very great day for me. It was always my dream to be good in GS," Wierather said. "I took quite a long time to get there. It feels awesome to have my first win (in GS)." Wierather leads overall with 595 points from Lara Gut (568), who finished second, and Maria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany (535). Cheap Oakland Athletics Jerseys . Viewers in the Canadiens region can watch the game on TSN at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt and listen on TSN 690. The Canadiens have won three in a row and four of their last five games and recently put the finishing touches on a 3-1-0 road trip. GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Talib Zanna had 19 points and a career-high 21 rebounds to help Pittsburgh beat No. 15 North Carolina 80-75 in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament quarterfinals Friday. James Robinson also scored a career-best 19 points for the fifth-seeded Panthers (25-8), who used a dominating start to build a huge lead before having to hold off a late rally by the fourth-seeded Tar Heels (23-9). Pittsburgh led by 20 points with 7:22 left before UNCs frantic comeback behind Marcus Paige, who scored 20 of his 27 points after halftime before fouling out with 25.4 seconds left. UNC got it to 78-75 on Nate Britts jumper with 11.4 seconds left but couldnt complete the comeback. James Robinson knocked down two free throws to make it a two-possession game again right after Britts score, then Lamar Patterson rebounded a hurried 3-pointer by James Michael McAdoo with 4.3 seconds left to essentially seal it. Now, after a dominating performance in Thursdays second round and a bumbling-but-successful finish Friday, the Panthers will face sixth-ranked and top-seeded Virginia in Saturdays semifinals. Zanna, a 6-foot-9 fifth-year senior, came within two rebounds of tying the single-game tournament rebounding record that had stood since 1959. He fouled out with 1:03 left. Zanna had 10 offensive rebounds -- one shy of UNCs team total -- and helped Pitt control the boards while taking a 21-6 edge in second-chance points against a team that was third in the league in rebounnding margin for the regular season.dddddddddddd With all those point-blank extra looks off offensive rebounds, Pitt shot 52 per cent for the game. North Carolina spent all day trying to recover from a terrible start. It missed 16 of 19 shots and fell behind 25-8, though its late comeback at least gave them some hope of sticking around Greensboro a little longer. North Carolina shot 42 per cent, though much of that production came after Pitt had built a 61-41 lead on Josh Newkirks three-point play midway through the second half. The Panthers have won five of six to pull out of a three-game losing streak that started to threaten their NCAA tournament chances, with this ranking as probably their best of the year. Now the Tar Heels are suddenly struggling. The Tar Heels started 0-3 in the ACC and stood at 1-4 before running off 12 straight wins, including a home win against Pittsburgh, to earn a top-four seed and double-round bye that came with it. But UNC didnt play well in the final two games of the streak and lost at Duke to close the regular season last weekend, sending them into Greensboro coming off their first loss since Jan. 20. The rebounding trouble was particularly alarming for UNC considering it managed just 20 rebounds in last weekends loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium. During one demoralizing second-half stretch, Zanna tipped in offensive rebounds on consecutive possessions and had 17 rebounds to UNCs 16 with nearly 14 minutes still left. 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