Basketball: Bryant says Lakers will bounce back

Los Angeles Lakers' all-star basketball guard Kobe Bryant says the once-proud team will rebound from failing to reach the playoffs for the first time in 11 seasons.

"This is the path we're on right now, and we will bounce back," an injured Bryant said after the Lakers lost 125-99 at Phoenix.

The defeat eliminated the Lakers from playoff contention, ensuring they will not make the post-season for only the fourth time in the team's 45 years in Los Angeles.

They have lost 12 of their last 13 games, a Lakers' record.

Only six other teams in NBA history have gone from the finals to missing the playoffs in one year. The Lakers lost last season's championship to the Detroit Pistons.

The season promised to be one of transition, with Bryant the lone star after Shaquille O'Neal moved to Miami and the departure of coach Phil Jackson, who quit three days after defeat to the Pistons.

Jackson's replacement, Rudy Tomjanovich, resigned in February, adding to the instability.

Even Bryant missed games with injuries, including a bruised right leg that kept him out of the loss in Phoenix.