Lakers Stay Steady With Green : Pro basketball: With ailing elbow taped up, he comes off the bench in 500th consecutive game to help defeat Minnesota.

This was A.C. Green’s kind of milestone and A.C. Green’s kind of night.

In his 500th consecutive game, Green came off the bench with his left arm taped from forearm to biceps to protect his hyper-extended elbow, played three positions including guard and scored 16 points as the Laker reserves led a 107-85 romp over the Timberwolves Sunday night at the Forum.

Green’s streak is the longest going in the NBA. He hasn’t missed since Nov. 16, 1986, when then-Coach Pat Riley decided not to play him at Dallas.

Green has missed three games in his eight-year career, all by coaches’ decision, none by injury.

“Last year, against Phoenix, I had a crick in my neck and I couldn’t turn my head,” Green said. “I had to turn my whole body. The playoff series against Portland, I had a thigh contusion so bad I could barely walk, but we had two days before we had to play.

“It’s been a lot of tests. . . . I’m going to savor this. I’m so happy it came with a victory because I’m tired of losing.”

What little was needed to topple the Timberwolves, the Laker reserves provided.

The Laker bench outscored the Minnesota bench, 60-6. James Edwards had his Laker high, 17 points, and Elden Campbell had a season-high 16.

It was a new Timberwolves’ team that arrived in town, with one player--guard Doug West--left from the original crew of 1989 and two--West and Felton Spencer--who were on the team on opening night last season.

Minnesota also arrived 0-2 on this trip, having lost by 19 points in Utah, which only turned out to be the warm-up for Saturday night’s 43-point bombing in Seattle.

“We’ve been zapped right between the eyes,” Minnesota Coach Jimmy Rodgers said before the game.

“The only blessing in disguise, if there is one, is 24 hours later there’s another game. I don’t know if this is the best place to be to work things out.

“I think we have the potential to be a pretty good basketball team but we’ve had a lot of changes. We’re still learning, trying to get some kind of cohesion. Every night we see some kind of different circumstance for the first time.”

Instead, it was the veteran team, the Lakers, who ran into a new circumstance.

Twenty-six seconds into the game, Smith limped off and the Lakers were down to three guards, including rookie Duane Cooper who had played 53 minutes to date.

Since they have been using myriad combinations, they barely noticed. Pfund used his two-center, two-forward lineup and his four-forward lineup and the game went on. The Lakers eased into a 57-49 lead at the half, then went on a 26-8 run late in the third quarter and early in the fourth to put the game away.

Laker Notes

Laker orthopedist Stephen Lombardo said Byron Scott is “a minimum one week” away. Scott, who missed his ninth game, underwent another MRI for his sprained right foot, which was negative. “He’s improving,” Lombardo said. “All indicators are positive, but he’s not comfortable running yet.” . . . Tony Smith said his pulled left hamstring is “pretty mild.” Coach Randy Pfund said if it looks as if Smith might miss three or four games, the Lakers may look for a replacement. They are down to three guards: Sedale Threatt and rookies Anthony Peeler and Duane Cooper. . . . James Worthy, who shot 22% and scored 16 points on the three-game trip, made six of 11 shots and scored 14 points in 23 minutes. . . . Next in line for A.C. Green: Bob Weiss with 538 and Otis Thorpe with 542. . . . Minnesota’s Christian Laettner, No. 3 pick in the draft, made his local debut, scoring 10 points in the first half but missing all five of his shots in the second and finishing with 12 points. “It meant a little bit to me,” he said of playing in the Forum. “I mean, the Lakers were always on TV when I was a kid.”