Walton, Cook May Be Needed

Slava Medvedenko’s playing time might have declined since Karl Malone returned to the Laker lineup, but he still occupies an important role in Coach Phil Jackson’s rotation.

But the backup big man remains questionable for Friday’s Game 3 at Houston because of a strained right Achilles’ tendon. An MRI exam revealed that Medvedenko, who had six points, three rebounds and three assists Monday, did not suffer a tear, but it did show some inflammation.

“I don’t remember how I did it,” said Medvedenko, who did not practice Wednesday.

If Medvedenko can’t play Friday, the Lakers will have to turn to rookies Luke Walton and Brian Cook to back up Malone.

“We feel confident that even though we have inexperienced players behind him, we’ll still get the job accomplished if he’s not healthy enough to play,” Jackson said.

Walton has played 13 minutes in the series. Cook was on the floor for the final two minutes of the Lakers’ 14-point victory in Game 2.

“I know Slava is tough and he wants to be out there with the team,” Cook said. “But if my opportunity comes, I’ll be ready.”

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Malone has seen more than his share of seven-game series start off with the home team winning the first two games. He expects the Rockets to play like a desperate team.

“Any time a team is down 2-0, you just lay it all on the line because you realize how important that third game is,” Malone said. “They are going to throw everything they got at us because they have to. If it was 1-1, I don’t know if the urgency would be there.”

A year ago, the Lakers were not pleased with the extra days’ rest between games of their first-round series against Minnesota. That’s not the case this year.

“We’ve been injured and now we have some time to heal up,” Malone said. “This is good for our team.... With our situation, this is a nice break for us.”

Because of the break, Jackson warned not to expect a well-played game Friday.

“There’s always this extreme tension when you go through the playoffs and you have to be able to rebuild that,” he said. “You have to prep yourself for this game because ... there is so much time off in between these games. You may not have that kind of tension that really brings the best play and you need that to play well.”

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Second-year guard Kareem Rush has been making the most out of his minutes in the playoffs, averaging eight points on 75% shooting. He has made four of six three-point shots and has played solid defense.

“I can tell when I’m playing well because if I’m not out of the game in the first three minutes, then I know I am doing something right,” said Rush, regarded by Jackson as the Lakers’ best three-point shooter.