Mike D'Antoni will have Kobe Bryant guard Russell Westbrook on Friday

by Steph Rogers

Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni expressed how proud he was of his team's performance without Kobe Bryant.

Now that Bryant is back (and Steve Blake is out) he'll be starting defensively Friday night against Russell Westbrook.

"Westbrook is a hard matchup for anybody. But I trust Kobe more than a normal person in figuring it out," the coach told reporters on using Bryant to guard the Thunder's Westbrook.

Trust is so important in a good relationship.

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