Rivalry Crumbles as Lakers Defeat Clippers, 105-96

The construction of a hotly contested rivalry between the Lakers and Clippers has been crumbling almost from the start, and Saturday night it was flattened altogether.

Not only did the Clippers lose to the Lakers for the fourth straight time in what has been a lopsided season series, they never really put up a challenge in a routine 105-96 loss before a sellout Sports Arena crowd of 15,371.

The margin of victory was only nine points, but it really wasn’t that close most of the way. In the fourth quarter, the Clippers would come tantalizingly close to getting back into the game--cutting the Lakers’ lead to nine--but then the Lakers would put it out of reach again.

The Lakers and Clippers have been going in opposite directions--the Lakers speeding in the fast lane; the Clippers stalled on the offramp. Saturday’s win extended the Lakers’ commanding Pacific Division lead to 10 1/2 games. The Clippers, meanwhile, lost their seventh in a row.

With every loss, speculation mounts that changes, coaching or otherwise, are forthcoming. But what the Clippers needed most Saturday was a healthy Bill Walton and some firepower from the bench. Walton missed his second straight game because of soreness in his right ankle.

And the Lakers showed the Clippers how valuable a strong bench can be. Playing without two of their top substitutes--Bob McAdoo (heal) and Jamaal Wilkes (knee)--the Lakers still received strong performances off the bench, especially from Mike McGee.

It was hot shooting by McGee in the second quarter that put the Clippers into a hole they could not climb out of. McGee scored 17 of his 20 points in the second quarter to boost the Lakers to a 61-47 lead.

James Worthy, who has hurt the Clippers in the previous three games, did so again Saturday. He scored 21 points and sank three crucial baskets late in the fourth quarter to hold off Clipper runs. Guard Byron Scott had 20 points, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 16 and Michael Cooper 10.

Magic Johnson scored only six points but had 17 assists.

For the Clippers, Norm Nixon had 26 points, while Derek Smith and James Donaldson each had 17. Donaldson, who played all 48 minutes, had 19 rebounds against Abdul-Jabbar.

When the Clippers came onto the court before Saturday’s game, a song called “The Heat Is On” was played. It was perhaps apropos, since the Clippers had lost six straight games and speculation abounded about either coaching or personnel changes--or both.

In the first quarter, the Clippers played like a team trying to salvage something. After a slow start, they stayed close to the Lakers, trailing only 27-25 at the quarter’s end.

By halftime, though, the Lakers had opened a 61-47 lead and seemed on the verge of blowing out the Clippers.

It was as if the Lakers suddenly decided to get serious. They scored seven straight points the first two minutes of the second quarter, Mitch Kupchak hitting from inside, Abdul-Jabbar making a three-point play and McGee scoring a layup.

Lynam tried to stop the Laker onslaught by calling two timeouts, but it didn’t help. McGee almost single-handedly gave the Lakers a big lead. He scored 17 points, all in the second quarter, making 8 of 9 shots. His only miss came with six minutes left in the first half when he banged a short jumper off the back rim.

Other than that, McGee was nearly perfect. He scored four straight Laker baskets--plus a free throw--midway through the quarter before Coach Pat Riley let the Clippers off the hook by replacing McGee with Scott.

It was Scott who had kept the Lakers ahead in the first quarter. He scored 12 first-quarter points, while his adversary, Nixon, had 11 for the Clippers.

But the Clippers’ weaknesses surfaced in the second quarter. Several turnovers were converted into Laker fastbreaks. Three of McGee’s baskets were on fastbreaks.

The Clippers, on the other hand, were forced to settle into their set offense most of the second quarter. Junior Bridgeman took over the scoring load from Nixon during than span, sinking four jump shots.

In addition to McGee’s 17 first-half points, the Lakers received 9 from Abdul-Jabbar and 7 from Worthy. The Clippers were led by Nixon’s 13 and 8 each from Bridgeman and Marques Johnson. Smith, the club’s leading scorer, had only three points in the first half.

Notes

A story in Saturday’s Orange County Register quoted two unnamed Clipper players as saying they want Coach Jim Lynam replaced by assistant Don Chaney. Saturday night, General Manager Carl Scheer said: “I don’t put stock into comments made by unnamed players. If that is what two players said, I understand the frustration of players who go through losing spells. . . . This is not to say all is well in Dodge City. I’m not going to stand for our situation. (But) I don’t know if the resolution is what these alleged players suggested.” . . . Scheer was asked if Chaney would be a candidate if he were contemplating a coaching change at this point in the season. His response: “Yes, but let me clarify that if I was considering a change, I would consider many candidates.” . . . Injury update: For the Lakers, Jamaal Wilkes (sprained left knee) is definitely out for tonight’s game against Indiana, and Bob McAdoo (bruised left heel) is on a day-to-day basis. For the Clippers, center Bill Walton is out indefinitely with a right ankle injury.