LAKERS NOTEBOOK: KOBE WILL TAKE A REST X-RAYS NEGATIVE, BUT HE'LL SIT OUT.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

EL SEGUNDO - Kobe Bryant has nothing more than an aggravated left-ankle strain and a sore foot, but the good news for the Lakers ends there. The extent of the month-old injury is worse than ever and it's almost certain that Bryant will have to take some time off, starting tonight, when the Lakers play host to the Washington Wizards.

Bryant is scheduled to be re-evaluated this morning, but the Lakers are preparing to play without their scoring leader in the near term. A timetable for his return won't be known until after today's examination.

Results of an X-ray and MRI on Thursday were negative.

Bryant already was playing on two bad ankles. He suffered a strain in the left ankle Feb. 18, then sprained the right one two days later and sat out three games.

With daily treatment, Bryant has been able to play through the pain for the last three weeks, but he came down awkwardly on his left foot in the waning moments of Wednesday's loss at Milwaukee. He was diagnosed with soft-tissue inflammation and soreness in his left foot.

``It's worse, period,'' Bryant said after the game.

His absence will leave the Lakers without their entire starting backcourt (Ron Harper is out a month after knee surgery). It also will probably force coach Phil Jackson to turn to troubled guard Isaiah Rider, who hasn't played the last three games after returning from an NBA drug suspension.

The Lakers were off Thursday and no one was available for comment.

--Serving up Fish: If there is any solace for the injury-riddled Lakers, it is the steady play of Derek Fisher. After Bryant and Harper, Fisher is the team's best organizer of the offense, and he has played superbly since returning to action 10 days ago.

In six games, Fisher is averaging 14.5 points, 6.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.7 steals. He's shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range. All of those statistics eclipse his modest career stats.

If anything, the five months it took to recover from a stress fracturein his right foot might have done Fisher good. All he could do was shoot (usually, flat-footed) and work out.

``It allowed me to focus on that particular area of my game. It's always been something that I've wanted to improve on,'' said Fisher, a career 38.5 percent shooter. ``I shot so many free throws even before I could shoot jump shots that it was just like a natural carryover.... I feel good about it.''

Despite the long layoff, the always well-conditioned Fisher returned in great shape, with a few pounds of added muscle. He's averaging 34.2 minutes and has started all six games, a role he'll probably carry right into the playoffs because Harper is out.

``Mentally I feel like I'm ready,'' Fisher said. ``But physically, it's probably day by day. Since coming back last Tuesday, it's been bam-bam-bam. My body really hasn't had much time to really respond to anything, because the next night we have to go at it again.

``But with Harp being out another month, it definitely puts a lot more pressure on the guys in the backcourt to hold this thing together. So definitely I'll have some more responsibility and physcially having to do more than I probably would normally have to do, especially after coming off an injury. It's going to be tough, but hopefully I can hold up for another three or four weeks, when we can get everybody back together.

LAKERS vs. WASHINGTON

Tipoff: 7:30 p.m. Staples Center.

TV/Radio: Fox Sports Net; 570-AM, 1330-AM (Spanish).

Lakers (45-23) update: This game will be their only break for a while, especially if Kobe Bryant is out any length of time. The Lakers play road games at Sacramento and Phoenix on Sunday and Monday, then return home for games against Sacramento, Dallas and New York.

Wizards (17-51) update: Starting forward Michael Smith was sent home after unleashing a profane outburst on the bench Wednesday night, when he was pulled during a win at Golden State. The Wizards, who lost to the Lakers last Friday in Washington, have not beaten the Lakers in L.A. since Feb. 14, 1992.

- Howard Beck

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Box: LAKERS vs. WASHINGTON (see text)