Kobe Bryant will play Thursday night against Sacramento

reporting from Sacramento — Kobe Bryant will end a three-game absence by playing Thursday night against the Kings in his final game in Sacramento.

He missed almost a week of games because of a sore right shoulder.

“He’ll be in the starting lineup,” Lakers Coach Byron Scott said Thursday morning. “I would assume that fatigue might be a little bit of a factor since he hasn’t played in six days, but he’s very anxious to get back on the floor, so we’ll go from there.”

Bryant did not take part in the Lakers’ shootaround Thursday morning.

D’Angelo Russell will also return to the lineup after missing Tuesday’s game against Golden State because of a sore throat.

“No relapse, besides just still playing young and dumb,” Scott said jokingly. “Nah, he’s fine. He had a lot more of a pep in his step this morning than the usual D’Angelo that I’d seen. Wanted to make bets and tell jokes and all that good stuff. So he’s back to normal.”

Twitter: @Mike_Bresnahan