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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. Samuel Morin Flyers Jersey . - Kobe Bryant is officially done for the season after having surgery to repair his torn right rotator cuff Wednesday.The Los Angeles Lakers also made it official that their superstar doesnt believe his career is finished.Bryant is expected to need nine months to recover from his third straight season-ending injury. If Bryant meets that timetable, he could return to basketball shortly before the start of the 2015-16 season — and the Lakers expect to see him in purple and gold again.Neal ElAttrache and Steve Lombardo performed the two-hour surgery at the Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles.I expect Kobe to make a full recovery, and if all goes as expected, he should be ready for the start of the season, ElAttrache said in a statement provided by the Lakers.The Lakers formally declared Bryant out for the year by acknowledging the expected recovery time from his injury, but also effectively confirmed he wont retire and will attempt to play his 20th season in the fall. Bryant, who will be 37 years old this summer, is the NBAs highest-paid player at $23.5 million this season, and he is under contract for $25 million next year.In my mind right now, hes coming back next year, unless he tells me something different, coach Byron Scott said at practice Wednesday.Scott already had acknowledged Bryant was highly unlikely to play again this season for the flailing Lakers (12-34), who will match their franchise record for futility if they lose their 10th consecutive game when the Chicago Bulls visit Thursday. But if Los Angeles finishes with a top-five draft pick, the club wont have to give its first-round choice to Phoenix until next year to complete its brutal trade for Steve Nash in 2012.Bryant hurt his right shoulder while dunking last week in New Orleans, deciding on surgery shortly afterward. He is the third-leading scorer in league history and a five-time NBA champion.Bryant averaged 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 35 games, but made a career-worst 37.3 per cent of his shots in a wildly inconsistent 19th season. He also passed Michael Jordan for third place on the NBAs career scoring list, trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone.Bryants popularity hasnt waned during his injury-plagued stretch. He was voted to the All-Star game for the 17th time this month, and he is still the Lakers public face despite his recent prolonged absences from the court.Bryant missed the 2013 playoffs after tearing his Achilles tendon late in the regular season, and he played in just six games last season before breaking a bone near his left knee. Although he has played through innumerable injuries in the past, the accumulated wear from nearly two decades in the NBA has caught up to him.Bryant sat out eight games to rest in the past month, and he played under a strict minutes limit. It wasnt enough to protect him from another major injury.Bryant joins Nash, first-round pick Julius Randle and swingman Xavier Henry with season-ending injuries already for the Lakers. Dave Schultz Jersey .1 Sam Stosur will meet Germanys second-ranked player Andrea Petkovic in the opening match of the Fed Cup World Group semifinal. Carter Hart Jersey . While the pair of Spain internationals return, midfielder Xavi Hernandez will not be included in the squad after failing to recover from a muscle strain to his left leg. http://www.flyersteamstoreonline.com/authentic-michael-raffl-flyers-jersey/ . - Houston defensive end J. PHOENIX -- For the 41st game in a row, Kevin Durant scored at least 25 points. Not even Michael Jordan ever did that. Even so, Durant would probably trade his 38 points for a win. P.J. Tucker, who had to guard Durant most of Sunday night, scored 11 of his career-high 22 points in the fourth quarter and Phoenix beat the Thunder 122-115, giving the Suns a critical victory in their drive to make the playoffs and dealing a blow to Oklahoma Citys tenuous hold on the No. 2 spot in the West. Goran Dragic scored 26 points, Gerald Green 24 and Eric Bledsoe 18 for the Suns, who shot a season-best 58.4 per cent. With Memphis loss to San Antonio, the Suns are a game ahead of the Grizzlies for the No. 8 spot in the West and a half-game behind No. 7 Dallas. Durants streak surpassed Jordans 40 in a row of 25 or more and is the longest since Oscar Robertson did it for 46 straight games in 1963-64. Wilt Chamberlain did it in all 80 regular-season games in the 1961-62 season. And Durant is totally unimpressed his streak. "I dont really care about it," he said. "I cant wait until its over." Russell Westbrook scored 33 for the Thunder, who lead the Los Angeles Clippers by a game for the Wests No. 2 playoff spot. Oklahoma City took its final lead, 112-111, on Durants two free throws with 2:39 to play. Phoenix scored the next 10, the first four by Markieff Morris and the last four on free throws by Bledsoe, to lead 121-112 with 20.7 seconds to play. Durant sank a 3-pointer with 12.9 seconds to go, the only Thunder field goal in the final 3:49. "Its all or nothing right now," Green said. "We dont have a month left to try and make up. We only got a few more games, so its win or go home for us." Tucker was a career-best 4 of 5 from behind the arc. After struggling at the line all night, Phoenix made its last eight free throws. "Everybody is trying to win at this point," Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. "It was a good test for us and one that these guys passed." Phoenix won the season series against Oklahoma City 2-1. "We feel like very game we play we can win, tthroughout the league," Tucker said. Michael Raffl Jersey. "We have confidence that we can play with anybody in the league." Phoenix plays its next three on the road -- at New Orleans, San Antonio and Dallas. "Its a big win for us," Dragic said. "Were a step closer, but were still a long way from our goal." Thunder coach Scott Brooks said Phoenixs great shooting was not solely the result of poor defence. "Theyre a very good offensive team," he said. "They give you trouble because theyre small, they attack, they get to the free throw line, they can make 3s, and theyre desperate right now. Theyre fighting for their playoff lives." Still, he said, the Thunder "didnt do a good enough job closing out their shooters." "When you have good shooters you cant have mistakes," Brooks said, "and we had too many mistakes on the defensive end." The Suns led by as many as 14 points in the third quarter, the last time at 85-71 on Greens 14-footer with 6:10 left, and were up 92-83 after consecutive layups by Dragic and Bledsoe with 4:04 left. But the Thunder outscored the Suns 8-2 the rest of the quarter, Durants driving dunk with 13 seconds left cutting Phoenixs lead to 94-91 after three. Durant and Nick Collison scored to start the fourth quarter and Oklahoma City led for the first time since the first quarter, 95-94, with 11:06 to play. The lead bounced back and forth after that. Tuckers reverse layup put Phoenix up 111-110 with 1:52 to go. Marcus Morris sank a pair of jumpers in a 12-4 run that put Phoenix up 38-29 early in the second quarter. Oklahoma City cut it to 44-41 on Reggie Jacksons driving layup, but Tucker sank a 3, Dragic converted a three-point play then scored on another drive and the Suns were back up 52-43 with 3:53 to go and led 62-53 at the break. NOTES: The Suns are 20-0 when shooting at least 50 per cent from the field. ... Dragic scored all 19 of his first-half points in the second quarter, Green scored 17 in the second half. ... Phoenix plays four of its final five games on the road. Its home game is against Memphis on April 14. ' ' '