LAKERS NOTEBOOK: HORRY DOESN'T START - REALLY LAKERS FORWARD LIKES RESERVE ROLE.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

DENVER - Robert Horry is playing like a starter. He's got the minutes and often the stats to prove it. But he's told coach Phil Jackson he wants to keep coming off the bench.

``I prefer it,'' said Horry, who plays behind A.C. Green but these days plays more minutes and all fourth quarters.

``I enjoy it, warming up really hard and then getting that little pause to get ready for the game,'' he said. ``I think A.C., his style of play is so different from mine, to watch him defend the other guy, really lets me know how to defend the guy I have to go out there and play. Plus, A.C. needs to be warmed up and come straight on out. So I think I'm in a better situation to come off the bench right now than he is. . . .

``Plus you know how you get into a little groove, you don't want to break the groove.''

Horry's role has grown almost as quickly as the Lakers' 19-game winning streak. And it's no coincidence.

``There's two players that have stepped up (during the streak),'' Jackson said. ``Shaq (O'Neal)'s had some great games, but two players that have stepped up and played at a level that's a little better has been Robert and Kobe (Bryant).''

Horry has scored in double figures just eight times this season, but five of those have come in the last 11 games. He has raised his shooting percentage to 44.8 percent, his 3-point shot is a threat again and his defense against opposing power forwards has been at times spectacular.

Jackson is consistently giving Horry starter's minutes, while Green's playing time has plummeted to 18 minutes a game over the past seven games. But Jackson has no plans to alter the starting lineup.

``Good teams have starters coming off the bench or players that are equal to their starters,'' he said. ``That makes teams very good and changes up what they do on the floor, gives them a little more tenacity or speed or outside shooting or whatever, a lot of things which Robert does do for us.''

--It takes two: Glen Rice now has ridden the bench for all but three minutes of the last two fourth quarters combined, as Jackson has gone to defensive-minded Rick Fox. Though Rice was upset by a similar strategy in late January, he says he's fine with it now.

``Like I was telling Rick before the game (Monday in Denver), we're the two small forwards on this team, so we've got to go out there and we've really got to do our part,'' he said. ``That's what we're going to try to do from here on out.''

Asked if he was comfortable with the offense-defense switches from Rice to Fox, Rice said, ``Yeah, it's comfortable, but don't forget - I can play defense, too.''

--Breather: The Lakers will go for their 20th straight win, which would tie the second-longest winning streak in NBA history, on Thursday at Washington. They remained in Denver for light practices Tuesday and today.

O'Neal is receiving therapy for his strained right hamstring and is expected to be fine for the game.