Stringing Along Warriors, Lakers Win 15th in Row

So now the lottery teams are making their run at the Lakers. As they say on the Big Spin, lots of luck.

The Golden State Warriors, the first of three straight mega-losers to take a shot at the Lakers, played over their heads Tuesday night, which isn’t hard when you’re being outscored by an average of 17.4 points a game.

But, by game’s end, those heads were handed to them by the Lakers, who ran their winning streak to 15 games--second longest in team history and the longest in the league since the Boston Celtics ran off 18 straight in 1982--with a 117-113 victory before a sellout crowd of 17,505 at the Forum.

And if you thought the odds were long against the Warriors--who have yet to win a game on the road in 14 tries--consider who is next up tonight: those lovable Clippers, losers of 11 in a row. It should be like two bullet trains passing in the night, especially if the Lakers come out the way Byron Scott says they will.

The Lakers, said Scott--who tossed in a game-high 30 points and is becoming as automatic as a Chick Hearn dribble-drive--have noticed a recent tendency to let other teams get the jump on them. It happened last week against Dallas at home, Detroit and Indiana on the road, and it happened again here Tuesday night, as the Warriors opened an 11-point halftime lead, 57-48, and still led by nine, 81-72, with 2:42 left in the third quarter.

“We came out very relaxed and pretty much nonemotional,” Scott said, “but this may be the last night we play this way. We decided after the game we can’t let ourselves get in a situation like that.

“We all pretty much kicked it around and said, ‘Let’s start it tomorrow night.”’

It would have been better for the Warriors if the Lakers had slept on it. Given the job done on the boards by Larry Smith and Ralph Sampson--who had 16 rebounds apiece, Sampson even though he was playing on a sore left knee--and the hot shooting by Rod Higgins (19 points in the first half, 24 for the game) and Terry Teagle (10 points in the third quarter), the Warriors had every reason to believe they might pull off the biggest upset involving a Bay Area team since the Vikings beat the 49ers last weekend.

That’s not what happened, however. Right about the time Kareem Abdul-Jabbar came out and Mychal Thompson and Magic Johnson came in, the Lakers stepped up the pressure, forcing a flurry of Golden State turnovers.

Michael Cooper’s three-pointer brought the Lakers into an 85-85 tie, and Thompson gave the Lakers the lead for good when he rebounded a James Worthy miss and was fouled by Sampson. That three-point play made it 88-87, and the Lakers never looked back, although Golden State whittled a nine-point deficit to four, 111-107, before Cooper applied the crusher with 52 seconds left.

Scott, who had 10 points at the half, scored 10 each in the final two quarters to make it eight straight games he’s scored 20 or more. Johnson and Worthy--who recovered from a 1-for-9 first half--finished with 20 apiece, with Johnson also contributing 14 assists and 8 rebounds.

“We knew the fourth quarter was going to be all ours,” Scott said. “When it got down to four points, I wasn’t worried.”

What would Scott have to worry about anyway, the way he’s playing. He missed only 2 of 11 shots in the second half, and has every reason to believe he should be in Chicago next month for the All-Star game.

“I’ve never been in such a groove,” Scott said. “I’ve shot the ball well in the past, but not like this for 15 or 16 games.

“When I shoot, I think I shouldn’t miss. I shouldn’t even hit the rim.”

The way the Lakers have been coming from behind, it’s natural to assume they can turn it on at will.

“Great teams have that ability,” Golden State Coach George Karl said, “and they’re definitely in the category of a great team.

“But if I were Pat Riley, I wouldn’t be very excited about that. With different circumstances, the situation could have turned out differently tonight.”

Riley didn’t sound too concerned.

“The fact is, when you’re winning a lot people tend to put you under the microscope more,” he said. “Just because we’ve won 15 in a row doesn’t mean we’ve been dominating teams. We’ve been busting our butts, and it’s going to be hard. People are coming in here not only wanting to beat the Lakers, but to end the streak.

“I don’t think we were mentally ready tonight, we were flat, but the players are aware of that. I don’t think we’re turning it on and off consciously--it may be a subconscious thing. And Golden State played exceptionally.”

Said Magic Johnson: “We definitely don’t like starting off behind in the first half, but if you’re going to have a bad half, it’s better if it’s the first.

“But there’s no cruise control for us.”

Laker Notes

For the second straight year, Byron Scott has been selected to take part in the long-distance shooting contest that is part of the All-Star festivities, taking place the day before the game. Scott is 23 of 69 from three-point range, a percentage of 33.3, well below his club record of 43.6 set last season. Michael Cooper, a participant last season, was not chosen, even though Cooper has more three-pointers (33) and a higher percentage (34%). . . . Cooper, however, was in a slump until he made 8 of his last 15 attempts, 1 for 4 Tuesday night. . . . Ralph Sampson had his left knee drained and did not practice. It’s the same knee that kept him out of 27 games last season. . . . Golden State shot 51.6% (47 of 91), the first Laker opponent to make more than half its shots in the last 11 games. The Warriors outrebounded the Lakers, 53-41.

THE STREAK

Date Opponent Score Dec. 11 Boston 115-114 Dec. 13 Cleveland 90-89 Dec. 15 Phoenix 122-97 Dec. 17 Golden State 113-106 Dec. 19 Clippers 108-97 Dec. 20 Seattle 103-94 Dec. 23 Sacramento 117-103 Dec. 26 Utah 117-109 Dec. 29 Philadelphia 131-115 Jan. 3 Portland 98-81 Jan. 4 San Antonio 133-115 Jan. 6 Dallas 103-89 Jan. 8 Detroit 106-104 Jan. 9 Indiana 101-98 Jan. 12 Golden State 117-113