Lakers Run Away From the Clippers

Laker guard Byron Scott had more rebounds (6) than Clipper center Benoit Benjamin (4) in the Lakers’ 137-115 win over the Clippers Sunday night in the Forum.

Laker fringe player Mike Smrek had more rebounds (2) in the first half than Benjamin (0), the Clippers’ franchise player.

Observers point to Benjamin’s swollen belt size and snicker.

Benjamin points at his swollen right knee and worries.

Because of fluid on the knee, Benjamin did not practice since the Clippers’ last game, another blowout loss to the Lakers on Wednesday.

He played, or at least showed up, for the game on Sunday, which was over in the first dozen minutes, when the Lakers scored 42 points, their highest scoring quarter of the season.

His knee hurts, Benjamin said afterward.

“The more I keep playing, the more I aggravate it,” he said softly.

Then why keep playing?

“I guess because the team needs me,” he said.

But Benjamin, who had three points and three rebounds in Wednesday’s 34-point loss to the Lakers, was of equally little value Sunday, when he scored a dozen points and had four rebounds.

If his knee is the problem, then why not tell Coach Don Chaney?

“Right now, I don’t think it would really help me,” he said. “Everything is focusing on my weight. They say that’s affecting the way I play.

“They say they have to do something to motivate me, but I’m doing the best I can. It’s hard as hell with a bad knee. I don’t think he (Chaney) is too understanding.”

Chaney, who suffered through the Clippers’ ninth straight defeat while the Lakers ran their record to a league-best 12-2, said he can only rely on what Benjamin tells him. And right now, the center is sending him a different message.

“We can only send him to the doctor and have him checked out,” Chaney said. “If he tells me he can play, as a coach I have no choice but to play him.

“I’m not a dictator. I’m not going to beat him over the head if he can’t play.

“I need him. I depend on him so much. The guy can be a great player. I can’t just look at his knee. I have to focus on what’s he doing, and he hasn’t played well.”

How well did the Lakers play Sunday?

Well enough, obviously, especially in the backcourt. Byron Scott scored 16 of his game-high 26 points in the first quarter, when the Laker guards outscored the Clipper guards, 24-4.

Wes Matthews came off the bench and hit 8 of 10 shots for 16 points. Michael Cooper made 6 of 7 for 15 and had a season-high 8 assists.

Eight Lakers were in double figures, including rookie Billy Thompson, who had 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Adrian Branch narrowly missed making it nine Lakers, scoring nine points.

The Clippers, meanwhile, finished the game with just nine able-bodied players, as Rory White, who had been out with a bruised back, stepped on Magic Johnson’s foot and sprained his right ankle.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see an ad in the paper tomorrow for us to get guys off the street to play,” said Clipper forward Cedric Maxwell.

Told of Benjamin’s reluctance to tell management his fears about his knee, Maxwell said:

“He’s got a five-year guaranteed contract. What’s he afraid of? A man has to do what he has to do.

“A lot of his problems were contributed by himself with his weight. It’s a Catch-22, really.

“If he stops playing, everybody will blame him anyway. If he continues playing, he’ll hurt himself more.

“He’s in a very difficult situation. He is the franchise.”

Laker Notes

The Lakers shot 61.8% Sunday, a season high. . . . Byron Scott’s 26 points on 10 of 15 shooting was a season high for the Laker guard. “I went back to some basics things I hadn’t been doing,” he said. “I had to get concerned because I was missing shots I normally make. I just went out for 30 minutes today and took 100 shots. All I have to work on is execution.” . . . Clipper Coach Don Chaney on the backcourt mismatch: “I had a problem. I had a small guy (Mike Woodson) guarding Magic and a smaller guy (Geoff Huston) guarding Scott.” . . . Woodson, who made only 1 of 9 shots in Wednesday’s loss to the Lakers, made just 4 of 13 Sunday. . . . Lancaster Gordon scored 27 points coming off the bench to lead the Clippers. Michael Cage had 26 points and 14 rebounds. . . . Chaney on the stalemated Quintin Dailey negotiations: “It’s frustrating for me because the Quintin Dailey group was after us all summer to sign him. All of a sudden, we get a couple of spots open, and they play hard to get. It’s to the point where you feel like saying, ‘Forget it. Why bother? Go with what you have.’ ” . . . Laker backup Frank Brickowski missed the game with the flu.