Pau Gasol to Miss Lakers' Friday Game vs. OKC Thunder Due to Knee Injury; Lakers Watch "Lincoln" Together

Los Angeles Laker Pau Gasol seems to be popping up a lot in the news lately, this time, though, it's not about trade rumors.

Gasol is expected to miss Friday's big game against Kevin Durant and the 15-4 Oklahoma City Thunder due to tendonitis in his left knee, according to the Associated Press.

Coach Mike D'Antoni told the press at the Lakers' shoot-around Friday that while he had yet to receive an update from team doctors, he took that as a sign that the four-time All-Star is "not ready yet" for Friday night's game at Oklahoma City.

In his stead will be Antawn Jamison, who has averaged 15 points and 6.5 rebounds since Gasol was placed on the injured list.

D'Antoni added that Gasol's return "could be any day."

Gasol did not participate in the team shoot-around but could return Sunday against Utah, according to the Los Angeles Times. His knees have been an issue since the start of training camp, with his left knee being the worst of the two.

Point guard Steve Nash, who signed with the Lakers during the offseason, is also expected to miss the game. Nash, out with a small fracture in his left leg, has missed 18 consecutive games due to the injury, but D'Antoni hinted that the soonest his starting point guard could return is Tuesday, the start of the next Lakers road trip.

Lakers take time to watch "Lincoln" together 

In a break before Friday's game, the Lakers squad, which has been under fire for their underwhelming 9-10 start to start the season, decided to do a little team bonding.

An experience that involved spending the evening watching the life of one of America's most famous presidents on the big screen.

The Lakers saw Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," a historical drama motion picture starring two-time Academy Award Best Actor winner Daniel Day-Lewis, who portrayed assassinated sixteenth President Abraham Lincoln.

The critically acclaimed movie drew mixed reactions from the purple-and-gold squad, the L.A. Times reports.

"We've watched "Lincoln"! Very good movie! It describes one of the most important moments in the history of the USA. Highly recommended!" tweeted Gasol.

Laker Jordan Hill, however, was not as excited, tweeting, "I fell asleep eight times."

And Kobe Bryant? He had a chance to have a little fun at his teammates' expense.

According to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLA.com, who interviewed Bryant, the Lakers superstar wasn't sure how many of his teammates actually knew who Lincoln was.

"I'd be curious to see, if you took a poll, who knew," Bryant said. "Maybe it came as a great shock to them that Lincoln died at the end of the film."