Trail Blazers Snap Lakers’ String

Even when the Lakers extended their Pacific Division lead to 18 1/2 games over the weekend, nobody said it was going to be easy for them between now and their anticipated rematch with Boston for the National Basketball Assn. championship.

At least, nobody in Portland said it was going to be easy for the Lakers.

The Trail Blazers served notice Tuesday night that they are not going to go quietly into the night, beating the Lakers, 116-113, in overtime in front of another sellout crowd of 12,666 at Portland’s Memorial Coliseum.

For the Lakers, it was their first loss in March. They had won 10 straight games, 21 of their last 23 and 26 of their last 30.

But the Trail Blazers have been on something of a roll themselves, having won three straight and five of their last six before Tuesday night.

That not only had given them a firm hold on second place in the division, for whatever that’s worth, but it also had served to give some meaning to a season that had been all but written off.

Furthermore, the Trail Blazers have been winning without their floor leader and third-leading scorer, guard Jim Paxson, who injured his finger during a practice March 11.

Initially, the Trail Blazers feared that Paxson would miss the remainder of the season. But in keeping with the spirit of their reinvigoration, they learned last weekend that he might be able to return by the end of this week.

“Portland is really coming,” Laker Coach Pat Riley said following Tuesday night’s game. “All the criticism they took early, you can wipe away. This club is putting it together and will be a factor in the playoffs. It’s surely the best time of the year for them to realize their potential.”

About that criticism, Riley was alluding to the Trail Blazers’ off-season trade of Calvin Natt, Fat Lever, Wayne Cooper and two draft choices to Denver for Kiki Vandeweghe.

While the Nuggets have thrived, leading the Midwest Division by four games, the Trail Blazers have been under .500 for most of the season. Even with this current streak, their record is 36-37.

Portland Coach Jack Ramsay blamed his team’s disappointing play not on the trade, which is natural because he helped make the trade, but on injuries.

Before Paxson went down, the Trail Blazers had lost their starting point guard, Darnell Valentine.

But that might have been a blessing in disguise because they found another point guard, rookie Steve Colter from New Mexico State, near the end of the bench.

Even though Valentine has returned, he hasn’t been able to regain his starting position.

In 12 games as a starter before Tuesday night, Colter averaged 17.7 points and 6.6 rebounds. Never was he better than Monday night in Los Angeles. Going head to head with Norm Nixon, Colter had 25 points in 33 minutes in a 120-99 victory over the Clippers.

Playing a night later against Byron Scott, a former Arizona summer playground adversary, Colter picked up where he left off in Los Angeles, scoring 11 of the Trail Blazers’ first 21 points.

When Colter wasn’t playing, Valentine was looking very much like his old self. He had 12 points and five assists in 18 minutes.

“This was Valentine’s best game since he got hurt,” Ramsay said. “Now we have two point guards, and that is a big plus for us.”

Colter scored only seven more points, but he may have saved the game for the Trail Blazers with fewer than four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

The lead had changed hands 13 times in the second half, but the Lakers had taken control in the fourth quarter and led by four. They had the ball and a chance to increase their lead to six when Colter stole the ball from Magic Johnson. That resulted in a fast-break layup for Clyde Drexler.

With less than two minutes remaining, the Lakers had an opportunity to extend a three-point lead to five when Colter came down with a crucial rebound after a miss by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

That enabled the Trail Blazers to tie the game with 41 seconds remaining as Vandeweghe scored on a three-point play. He finished with a team-high 21 points.

The Trail Blazers had a chance to win in regulation, setting up for the final shot when Drexler fell and was called for traveling. Otherwise, Drexler had an outstanding game with 20 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds. Mychal Thompson came off the bench for 17 points and 9 rebounds.

Drexler’s mistake turned the ball over to the Lakers, but they couldn’t capitalize when Johnson missed a shot from inside the free-throw line as time ran out.

That sent the Lakers into only their second overtime game of the season.

Much of the Lakers’ scoring in the second half came from Scott, who finished with 28 points, as Johnson’s offense disappeared after a 19-point first half.

Abdul-Jabbar also was ineffective in the second half. He finished with 16 points, but he had only two in the final two quarters.

The Lakers fell behind by six in the overtime, but they still had a chance until Johnson’s open three-point shot fell short in the final seconds.

Laker Notes

The Lakers play tonight at Seattle, which has lost three straight and is falling out of contention for a Western Conference playoff berth.