Kobe Bryant injury: Lakers guard limited in practice Thursday

Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant was limited in practice Thursday with the same shoulder injury that held him out of Wednesday's preseason game against the Portland Trail Blazers, according to a report in The Los Angeles Times.

Despite Bryant's absence from practice, coach Mike Brown still expects him to play Saturday in the Lakers' preseason game against the Utah Jazz.

"He was dressed for practice, but we didn't really practice," Brown told The LA Times. "He had his jersey on and everything. But I knew today was more of a mental day, so I didn't even really ask [trainer Gary Vitti] what he could and couldn't do."

Bryant injured his shoulder while dunking on teammate Antwan Jamison in practice Tuesday, according to the report.

"Later on in the evening, that's when it kicked in," Bryant told The Times. "On the dunk, that's when the arm basically went back."

Bryant did not speak with reporters Thursday, but while talking with the media Wednesday, he did not sound overly concerned about the shoulder injury.