Because Kobe Bryant needed an excuse to take more shots… The Lakers will be without big men Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol and Jordan Hill on a two game, back-to-back road trip against Houston and San Antonio this week, but it could be more — both starters are listed as out “indefinitely.”

Howard is out at least a week with a shoulder injury and Gasol has a concussion and he will need to be cleared by a league neurologist before he can play again.

The Lakers announced this after cancelling practice Monday because… well, what was the point?

Howard had played through shoulder pain recently and an MRI Monday revealed a torn labrum, tweets Lakers reporter Mike Trudell. He will sit out a week (which means he misses the Thunder game at Staples on Friday) and will then be re-evaluated. (Jason Smith of the Hornets missed two weeks with this.)

Gasol got a concussion when he took an inadvertent JaVale McGee elbow to the face on Sunday night, one that left Gasol with a very bloody nose at the time. He will not travel with the team to Texas. The way this works is he has to pass some baseline tests after increasing physical activity and have those test results approved by a league neurologist. This could take days, it could take weeks.

Jordan Hill has a hip injury and will have that looked at by the team doctor Monday afternoon. They haven’t done it yet because it appears his waiting room is full.

What does this mean? Look for a lot of small ball from the Lakers — Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Jodie Meeks and Metta World Peace together — along with guys like Earl Clark getting in not just because George Karl picked them to shoot free throws (because Gasol was hurt). Robert Sacre could start on Tuesday for Los Angeles. World Peace could get some time at the five.

The Lakers have lost three in a row and face three strong teams this week in Houston (playing well lately), San Antonio and OKC. If the losing streak reaches six… well, the playoffs become harder and harder to reach.

It has taken at least 46 wins to make the playoffs in the West the past few years and the Lakers have to go 31-18 the rest of the way to do that. Which includes these three games and the upcoming long Grammy road trip. Good luck.

via Pro Basketball Talk