Lakers Rally From 17 Down, Win in OT

Now, what were they going to do for an encore? With Michael Cooper back in Los Angeles and Mychal Thompson back at the hotel, the Lakers took on the Atlanta Hawks Friday night at the Omni without their bench, fell behind by 17 points, by 15 in the fourth quarter . . .

And won?

You bet your omnipotence. Surprising even themselves, the Magnificent Five stormed back so quickly that it was the Hawks who had to force the overtime period. A lot of good it did them. The Lakers won, 126-119, in overtime, caught a late flight home and laughed all the way across the continent.

“There’s a quality about this team,” said Coach Pat Riley, in his fashionably cut, drenched blue dress shirt. “We had no right to win this game and every reason to lose.

“Two guys short. Atlanta playing their hearts out. . . . It would have been easy to walk away. But they don’t understand that. They don’t understand that.”

Had he gotten close to pulling his regulars to rest them for Sunday’s game at the Forum with the Detroit Pistons?

“That would have come in the fourth quarter. If it was double digits in the fourth quarter--it was, wasn’t it?”

Try 15 down with 8:18 left. And 11 with 6:08. And 7--109-102--when Atlanta’s Doc Rivers hit an 18-foot jumper with 3:36 left.

The Lakers then trapped the Hawks, who missed their last five shots in regulation. The Lakers cut it to 109-104 on two Magic Johnson free throws, to 109-106 on Byron Scott’s 20-footer, to 109-108 on two free throws by A.C. Green, then took the lead when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dropped in a 12-foot hook from his domain on the right baseline over Tree Rollins. Abdul-Jabbar was also fouled and made the free throw.

The Hawks put up three shots to tie, missing all of them but getting all the rebounds. Antoine Carr was fouled going back up for a shot, made a free throw, and--after a timeout call by Riley--made the second to tie it, 111-111.

So they went to overtime. It was 115-115 when Dominique Wilkins put up his 25th miss of the game. Kevin Willis got the rebound but Rivers went up from 20 feet, decided to pass and threw the ball away. A fast break ensued, Scott was fouled going to the hoop and made both free throws, giving the Lakers a 117-115 lead.

Ready for one more turnaround?

The Hawks were about to disappear. When they got the ball back, Tree Rollins decided to take his first shot of the night and--surprise--missed. At the other end, the Lakers got it to a wide-open Green, who went up for the slam only to have 5-foot 7-inch Spud Webb knock the ball from his hands, take it down to the other end and hit a high-flying layup to tie the game once more, 117-117.

That was all she wrote, Hawk-wise. At the other end, the 6-4 Scott, guarded by Webb, shot comfortably over him and nailed a 20-footer. Webb had an open 17-footer that would have tied it again, but perimeter shooting isn’t what he does best, either. He put the shot up, watched it fly and bent backward, giving it body English. It didn’t fall and turned into a Laker fast break with Green scoring on a layup. 121-117.

Moments later, Johnson ran the shot clock down to :06 and then made a three-pointer, the capper to an improbable night.

Athletes usually claim they’re not surprised at their rallies, only Magic said he was.

“The guys were tired,” he said. “I was tired. Thank God, the Hawks kept missing.”

And the Lakers bolted for their bus.

In the other dressing room, the Hawks, who had played wonderfully before losing for the eighth time in 12 games, took it stoically.

“We had this one,” Wilkins said. “We played 3 1/2 great quarters.”

They pay off on four. The masters of the last half-quarter flew home in continuing triumph.

Laker Notes

The Laker numbers: They are 41-9, the best start since Portland went 42-8 in 1978-9. They have won six in a row, 30 of 33, and are 19-6 on the road. . . . Michael Cooper, who severely sprained his left ankle Thursday night in Houston, flew home Friday, was examined by Dr. Robert Kerlan, who put the ankle in a cast. Cooper will be out for at least a week. Friday night’s game was the first he had missed because of injury in 455, going back to April 2, 1982. . . . Mychal Thompson missed his second straight game with the flu. . . . What has happened to the Hawks? They were once considered the coming power, but their outside shooting is suspect to non-existent. They are said to be susceptible to traps because their big men don’t pass the ball well. “You can’t make players be something they’re not,” Coach Mike Fratello says. “People look at players and they want them to be Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan--and they’re not. We don’t all possess those type guys. You can critique our players any way you want. We have to coach what we have, as best we can.” . . . And Dominique Wilkins, on shooting 17 for 42 Friday: “I don’t really like to shoot that many times. But when you have guys struggling, you’ve got to take ‘em.” . . . Atlanta forward Cliff Levingston equaled his career high of 29 points on 11-of-13 shooting.