Magic Decides to Find Comfort Playing a Game

It was left in his hands whether to play or not, so Magic Johnson chose to reach out for the hands of his teammates.

“I think when you’re sittin’ at home, thinkin’, that’s what makes it bad,” said Johnson, who choose to play in the Lakers’ 107-100 win over the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday night, after attending funeral services the night before in Michigan for his sister, Mary.

“Bein’ out there on the floor, I can fight through it better. . . . The guys made me stronger, and eased the pain. Guys sayin’ they’re sorry, huggin’ and holdin’ me, that means more to me than words can say.”

Johnson scored 20 points, passed out 11 assists and had 5 rebounds in the Laker win but was on the bench for the first 6:41 of the fourth quarter, when the Lakers stretched a nine-point lead, 85-76, to 15, 101-86.

But the Trail Blazers, fighting the after-effects of an exhausting, 145-141 overtime win over Denver at home the night before, not to mention history--they came in here having lost 16 straight games at the Forum, including playoffs--gamely hung in, closing to within five, 103-98, after a 12-4 run.

It took a steal and rebound by Byron Scott, who also led the Lakers in scoring with 21 points, to finally put away the Trail Blazers.

With the score 104-98 and the ball belonging to Portland, Scott slapped away a pass by Clyde Drexler into the hands of Magic Johnson.

And in the game’s last minute, with Portland down by seven, Scott leaped across the lane to grab the rebound of a missed three-pointer by Terry Porter.

“We got to a point in the game where we weren’t playing hard and let them do what they wanted to do,” Scott said. “We were acting like the game was already over, but they didn’t give up. They were right there.”

On the steal of the pass by Drexler, which was intended for Portland center Steve Johnson, who had a game-high 25 points, Scott said:

“I was just kind of waiting for Clyde. I played him real tight at first but just backed up a little bit.

“He didn’t seem to be into it tonight. From the look on his face, right from the opening tip, it looked like he didn’t want to be out there. I think maybe he was mentally drained.”

For whatever reason, Clyde the Glide, who came into the game averaging 20.8 points a night, was Clyde the Standstill. He made just 2 of 14 shots and scored 5 points. That, combined with 7-of-21 shooting by long-range gunner Kiki Vandeweghe, all but did in the Trail Blazers.

So did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, whose 20-point night (9-of-12 shooting) marked his fourth straight game of 20 points or more. He also had a game-high 10 rebounds, and toyed with the idea of launching a three-point bomb from 30-foot range beyond the top of the circle in the closing seconds.

“I’ve got to save my strength,” Abdul-Jabbar deadpanned, when asked why he passed up the shot. “I’ve got a game tomorrow night.”

The Lakers, who just returned from a five-game trip, return to the road tonight with a game in Seattle. They play the Suns in Phoenix Friday.

“I thought we were a little undisciplined in our play,” said Laker Coach Pat Riley, whose team is 33-9, 19-1 at home.

“I sensed a little mental fatigue. . . . I don’t want us looking at the All-Star break as a nice cushion, and us having a good record. We can’t lose our mental tenacity.”

Laker Notes Rookie Billy Thompson, who hadn’t played in the last three games and had become a garbage-time player again after a brief stretch in Pat Riley’s rotation of substitutes, came off the bench to score eight points, all in the second quarter. He also blocked a shot by Steve Johnson and had six rebounds. “He had a good game,” Riley said. “It’s a constant learning process. To come in and play the way he did tonight when he hadn’t played in the last couple of weeks, he showed a lot of alertness and quickness. We just want him to become more consistent. He’s got some incredible skills.” . . . Portland Coach Mike Schuler pulled Clyde Drexler a couple of minutes into the game. “I don’t know why it happened,” Drexler said, who went on to score five points.