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Kobe Bryant-Dirk Nowitzki battle called off due to Lakers star's shoulder pain

LOS ANGELES – The schedule promised one more matchup between Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki.

When Bryant woke up Tuesday and ran through his daily medical inventory, however, he knew the final showdown was off once he got to his right shoulder.

“I couldn’t really move the thing,” Bryant said.

Bryant said he has “worked through” soreness in his right Achilles.’ Now the focus is on his shoulder.

The shoulder often aches throughout the night, and Bryant does what he can to mitigate the pain, he said.

“There’s a whole technique of how to lay on my side, and all this other stuff,” he said, “Nights like that it’s pretty tough, and you get up in the morning and hope it’s a little bit better.