LAKERS NOTES

Glen Rice said he first started worrying about his increasingly stiff, aching right elbow during practice Friday.

“I tried some two-foot jumpers, and shot about 10%,” he said. “I knew something was wrong.”

By Saturday afternoon teammates said the injury brought him to tears when he put on his civilian clothes and headed for the bench.

Rice said that the decision to bench him for Saturday’s Game 4 of the Lakers’ first-round playoff series with the Houston Rockets was first made by club officials. He said he finally agreed after much anxiety.

“I didn’t want to come out, I wanted to at least try it . . . but it came down to them telling me I couldn’t do it,” Rice said. “I couldn’t swallow that. I’m like, I’m playing. But I had to finally admit that I was hurt.”

Rice said he hopes to be ready for Monday’s second-round opener against San Antonio. But he said the elbow, which was surgically repaired in January, was stiff and sore.

“You know I want to be in there, we’ll just see what happens,” he said.