by David Leon Moore, USA TODAY Sports

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Negativity continued to bombard the stunningly unimpressive Los Angeles Lakers Monday.

From the training room . . . Center Dwight Howard has a torn labrum in his right shoulder and is out indefinitely, at least a week. Forward/center Pau Gasol has a concussion and will not make the Lakers’ two-game Texas road trip. Neither will power forward Jordan Hill, who has an undiagnosed hip injury.

From Twitter . . . Lakers legend Magic Johnson was back at his keyboard Monday, and this year that has meant stinging criticism of coach Mike D’Antoni and many of the players. Monday’s main points: “Dwight Howard has to stop complaining and start dominating on offense . . . Pau Gasol has to stop playing soft and get back to 18 points and 10 rebounds . . . Kobe Bryant is having an MVP type season but the team needs him to be a better leader.”

From the New York Daily News . . . which ran a report, based on anonymous sources, that Howard had to be restrained by teammates from going after Bryant after the two exchanged heated words in the locker room following a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on New Year’s Day.

All the Lakers parties denied the story, and Bryant, a late-comer to Twitter, posted a picture of him and Howard in a staged boxing pose in the locker room Monday, with D’Antoni in the middle trying to separate them.

“It’s not true,” Bryant said of the reported altercation. “We all try to be professional about what we do. I guess some people try to skate around that a little bit.”

Said Howard: “It’s just funny. We’re losing. Every little story that comes out is geared to breaking out team up. But we’re bigger than that. We’re stronger than that. We’re not going to let anything divide us.

“Me and Kobe don’t have a problem with each other. It’s ridiculous.”

The Lakers wish they could deny their injury problems just as easily. But the fact is that they’re an … [For more on Lakers drama continues with injuries story of infighting, click here.]