LAKERS SERIES REPORT / NOTES

Kobe Bryant spent Monday recovering from a Rasheed Wallace elbow to the left ribs, an injury the Laker star guard does not expect to hinder him during the playoffs.

He said he would wrap his midsection for at least one more day, but that he probably would not require such attention for Thursday’s Game 2.

“By Thursday,” he said, “it shouldn’t be an issue.”

Bryant, who had 28 points on nine-for-20 shooting in Game 1, said the bruise did not hinder his shot, but sapped him of some mobility, particularly in the first minutes after taking the blow.

“Even though it hurt pretty bad, I was just happy it was upper body,” said Bryant, who fought ankle injuries for most of the second half. “I could deal with that. If it’s my legs, my ankles, my knee or something like that, then I’m in trouble.”

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In five games since returning from tendinitis in his left ankle, Bryant has 32 assists and five turnovers. On Sunday, in the Lakers’ 106-93 victory, he had seven assists and no turnovers. Bryant and Derek Fisher, the starting backcourt, did not have a turnover in 79 combined minutes.

Teammates are raving about Bryant’s game.

“Kobe’s done an excellent job since he’s been back of allowing the game to come to him and reading situations and picking the ball up and passing when defenses attack him,” Fisher said. “If he can play that way, as much as he has the ball in his hands, without a lot of turnovers, we’ll be tough to beat.

“For myself, I don’t take a lot of risks when I’m out on the floor. When it’s physical and aggressive I just try to be solid, stay within what I’m capable of doing. I think that’s the way you prevent turnovers. And, worse case, you can just shoot it. And they’ve been going in lately.”

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While Laker coaches watched film on Monday, most players lifted weights and did some shooting. Those players who did not play 20 minutes played three-on-three. The Trail Blazers, staying in town between games, did not practice.

“I know Portland had an opportunity to go to Disney[land] and other things while they’re vacationing here,” Coach Phil Jackson said, joking. “But, we are here to work and go about it the best way we can to hopefully generate the kind of energy we need to play with.”

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Guard Ron Harper, recuperating from arthroscopic knee surgery and considered to have a chance of playing in Game 2 of the series, won’t play Thursday, according to Jackson. . . . Rick Fox suffered a twinge in a hamstring. It is not believed to be serious.