The Los Angeles Lakers lead their first round series with the Denver Nuggets 3-2. They lost Game 5 at home with a chance to close out the series. Denver looked great in Game 5 playing their game and dictating the style of play to their liking.

Kobe scored 43 points in Game 5 including a stretch of three consecutive threes late in the fourth quarter. His symptoms today are vomiting and stomach pain.

Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum did not look their best in Game 5 and the Lakers will need less from Kobe and more from them to beat this Nuggets team.

If the Lakers win tonight then Game 1 of the second round will be on Saturday in Oklahoma City. All indications however are that the Nuggets should be favored to win tonight at home and force a Game 7 in Staples Center.

Or we could have the potential for Kobe trying to emulate Michael Jordan with a famous “flu game” of his own.