Bryant sprains ankle, out indefinitely

ATLANTA, March 14 (UPI) -- Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers sprained his ankle in the final seconds of Wednesday's game against Atlanta and will be out indefinitely, the team said.

Bryant appeared to land on the foot of Atlanta's Dahntay Jones after missing a baseline fadeaway shot in the Lakers' 96-92 loss to the Hawks, and twisted his left ankle, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

X-rays were negative.

After the game, Bryant suggested Jones deliberately slid his foot under his while Bryant was still in the air during the jump shot, saying, "You can contest shots, but you can't walk underneath players. It's just a very, very dangerous play, especially if I'm fading away. There's no rhyme or reason why I should come down anywhere near someone's foot."

Jones said Bryant's ankle turned as his foot hit the floor, adding, "I would never try to hurt the man."

Bryant had 31 points in the game.