MEMPHIS, TENN. — The Lakers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, an event that was quickly forgotten amid the specter of another Andrew Bynum knee injury.
Bynum sustained a sprained right knee after Kobe Bryant crashed into him at the end of an off-balance drive in the first quarter of the Lakers' 115-98 victory at the FedEx Forum.
Bynum yelled out immediately after the collision, stayed down for about two minutes and pounded the court with his fist as trainer Gary Vitti crouched next to him.
It was not the same knee that prematurely ended Bynum's 2007-08 season, and Bynum said the feeling wasn't as bad this time.
"I didn't hear any pops," he said as he leaned on a long black crutch in front of his locker. "It's much better than last year. Last year, I wasn't able to put any pressure on it or walk or anything like that. I really don't need the crutch, but they just want me on it just to keep the weight off of it."
X-rays did not show any broken bones, and Bynum will undergo an MRI exam today in New York, where knee specialist David Altchek, who performed surgery on Bynum's left knee last May, is based.
The Lakers play the Knicks on Monday at Madison Square Garden.
Bynum was hopeful, as were some Lakers officials, that this injury was not as serious as last season's briefly dislocated left kneecap that cost him 67 games.
Sprained knees generally take up to six weeks to heal, a time period that, if accurate, would keep Bynum sidelined until around March 15, a span of 19 or 20 games.
Initially, Bynum could not put any weight on the knee as he was taken off the court by Vladimir Radmanovic and Trevor Ariza with 6:55 left in the first quarter. The Lakers were ahead at the time, 13-11, and Bynum had seven points.
Bynum felt better a couple of hours later and was able to put some weight on the knee after icing it twice and putting a compression brace on it.
Teammate Pau Gasol expressed guarded optimism because "Doctors ended up saying that it's probably not too serious, so we're looking forward to know exactly what's going on [today] with the MRI."
Lakers officials said they would not speculate on a timetable for Bynum's return until after the MRI exam.
Lakers Coach Phil Jackson seemed more somber than Bynum and Gasol, calling the injury a "great disappointment."
Bynum was on a roll coming into Saturday, averaging 26.2 points, 14 rebounds and 3.2 blocked shots over his last five games.
