Kobe Out with Sprained Ankle, Blames ‘Dirty’ Dahntay Jones (Watch)

*Kobe Bryant sprained his left ankle severely Wednesday night, an injury may have dire implications for the Los Angeles Lakers, who have fought their way up to the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

But, in the immediate aftermath of the play, Bryant seemed to be even more hurt over what he called a “dirty and dangerous” play by the Atlanta Hawks’ Dahntay Jones.

ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 13: Dahntay Jones #30 of the Atlanta Hawks defends against Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers at Philips Arena on March 13, 2013 in Atlanta

Bryant was injured when he landed on Jones’s foot as he attempted a shot that would have tied the score late in the Lakers’ 96-92 loss to the Hawks. [Scroll down to watch.] Afterward, Bryant emailed Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarnowski to say that Jones “threw his hip and lower body into mine on the shot. That’s a foul with 100 percent certainty. Dirty and dangerous play. Doesn’t belong in the game.”

X-rays of Bryant’s ankle were negative and he’s listed as “out indefinitely,” with the Lakers playing the Indiana Pacers next on Friday night.

After the game, Bryant told reporters that Jones “Jalen Rose’d me,” a reference to a similar play on which he sprained his ankle in the 2000 NBA Finals.

Jones, meanwhile, argued that his play wasn’t dirty at all.

This isn’t the first time Bryant and Jones have tangled. When Jones was playing for the Denver Nuggets, he was called for two flagrant fouls against Bryant in the 2009 Western Conference finals.

With that kind of history, this isn’t going away. “I can’t get my mind past the fact that I’ve got to wait a year to get revenge,” Bryant said.