LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant was sidelined for a fourth straight NBA contest as the Lakers returned to action in the wake of the All-Star break against Golden State.

Bryant hasn't played since February 5, when he aggravated his sprained left ankle.

The injury kept him from appearing in the All-Star game on Sunday.

In his absence, the Lakers won all three of their games.

Bryant could also miss Thursday's marquee match up with the Boston Celtics. Lakers coach Phil Jackson said a decision on when Bryant returns is "purely up to him."

"When he's ready to play, we'll encourage him to play," Jackson said.

"He checked out of this game, basically," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said about 90 minutes before tipoff. "He practiced yesterday and was effective, but he didn't try anything. He didn't go to the basket, just helped run the team and helped keep things going in the right direction.

"But this morning, he said he just didn't feel it and he didn't have any strength back in the leg to really be explosive. But he didn't say anything about discomfort at all."

The next game Bryant plays will be his 1,000th regular season contest. He'll become the youngest player in NBA history to reach the milestone.

The Lakers got some good news as center Andrew Bynum returned to the lineup after missing two games with a bruised right hip.