LAKERS NOTEBOOK: WALTON THE LATEST TO SUFFER INJURY.

Byline: RICH HAMMOND  Staff Writer

EL SEGUNDO -- There are occupational hazards that go along with being a Lakers big man these days, and in the midst of one of his best games as a pro, Luke Walton fell victim Friday night.

Walton, whose excellent first quarter propelled the Lakers to a 20-point lead and an eventual victory over Seattle, strained his groin in the game but is expected to play in tonight's rematch in Seattle.

With the Lakers already down Kwame Brown and Chris Mihm and with Vladimir Radmanovic still rounding into form and learning the offense, Walton's presence has been key, no more so than Friday, when he finished with a career-high 20 points to go with eight rebounds and five assists.

Asked if he envisioned himself forming a Lakers ``Big Three'' with Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom, Walton smiled.

``I don't see why I couldn't be,'' Walton said. ``We have a very deep team, so you're going to see a lot of `third guys.' You're going to see a lot of different guys step up.

``I don't feel I need to score a lot of points to help the team win. If I have my shot, it's a bonus. I can do other things, like rebound and pass, and make contributions in other ways.''

Walton has proved to be a bit injury-prone in his NBA career, and he said he tweaked the groin while playing defense in the fourth quarter.

``It wasn't a pop. It was more like a pull,'' he said. ``It felt much better (Saturday) morning.''

Feeling fine: Bryant did not practice Saturday, because of the wishes of Jackson and not any problems with his knee. Bryant is expected to play tonight.

``He wanted to go out and play with the guys,'' Jackson said of Bryant, ``but I thought it was probably better for him just to get some exercise.''

Another one? Sasha Vujacic, who started the season opener in place of Bryant, did not play Friday. Jackson said Vujacic ``pulled a groin the other day.'' Jackson said, ``In that situation, with Kobe back, it made sense'' not to play Vujacic.

Easing in: Jackson took the blame for Walton's groin injury and said, ``Those come from overuse, so I probably played him too much,'' but Jackson doesn't have much choice in the matter.

Radmanovic is still working his way back from a strained finger ligament and is still learning Jackson's offense, which is already quite familiar to Walton. That's a combination that has led to Walton's big minutes.

``We're trying to find a way for him to learn the offense,'' Jackson said of Radmanovic, who played just 15 minutes against Seattle on Friday.

CAPTION(S):

box

Box:

LAKERS at SEATTLE

- Rich Hammond