Magic Sits Out a Half; Lakers Beat Warriors

They may have earned it, but not even Jerry Buss can match the luxury the Lakers are enjoying right now.

The Golden State Warriors, meanwhile, may not deserve it, but they’re in the class of the Clippers and Nets when it comes to poverty, National Basketball Assn. style.

The Lakers, with Michael Cooper in street clothes and Magic Johnson sitting out the second half with a groin pull, breezed to a 120-107 win over the Warriors Friday night at the Forum, their 11th win in the last dozen games and 27th in 30 at home.

The Lakers, 46-10 overall, are so far out in front of the National Basketball Assn. field, Pat Riley is planning to keep Cooper from playing on the team’s next four-game trip, which begins Sunday afternoon in Dallas.

“He’s not going to start the trip with us, and I’d have to say he’s not going to play on the trip,” the Laker coach said of Cooper, who severely sprained his left ankle Feb. 18 in Houston. He was eligible to come off the injured list Friday but instead will be re-evaluated Monday in Los Angeles.

“The situation . . . is not that significant right now,” Riley said “The hard work we did early has given us enough of a cushion that we can afford (to keep Cooper out). I don’t want to take a chance with him. He can run and cut and stuff, but if he rolls it (the ankle) again, it could mean the rest of the season.”

Cooper still held out the possibility that he will be on the team’s plane to Dallas Saturday, but his presence either in Texas or later stops in Philadelphia, New York or Chicago may just be wishful thinking.

“He may show up,” Riley allowed.

Golden State Coach George Karl, meanwhile, is out of the wishing business--unless it’s to hope for a merciful end to a wretched season which can only get worse, now that power forward Larry Smith is out for the season with a recurring thigh injury and Ralph Sampson--the hoped-for franchise center--may be history, too. Sampson has torn cartilage in his left knee, and while a decision has not been made, surgery is a virtual certainty.

Without Smith and Sampson, Karl is forced to play a hand of Jerome Whitehead, Dave Feitl and Dave Hoppen, which is something less than drawing to an inside straight. Whitehead and Feitl are career backups while Hoppen played in Spain and the Continental Basketball Assn. this season before joining the Warriors this week.

Is it any wonder that the Warriors are 14-41 overall, have lost six straight and have won just 3 times in 28 games on the road? And as if the Warriors weren’t handicapped enough, Karl was convinced that officials Jim Capers and Hue Hollins were working against him, too.

“I just hate referees,” began Karl, who had collapsed into a folding chair with a beer and pretzel in hand.

“We’re just a short-handed basketball team. I just hate referees who take the spirit of energy and enthusiasm out of your game, when you’re working hard.

“And this is not the first night. We’ve had something like 12 consecutive games where we outscored the other team in field goals and lost something like 8 or 9 of them. I don’t know about tonight, but we probably outscored ‘em from the floor tonight, too.”

Karl, who had yet to scan a box score, was wrong, but barely. The Lakers had 41 baskets, one more than the Warriors, but went to the line 40 times and converted 37 free throws. The Warriors were 25 of 31 from the line.

“I play a lot of young kids,” Karl said. “I’m on their backs all night long to play hard, and when they do, they deserve some respect out there.”

After Byron Scott, who scored a game-high 30 points, buried a 20-foot jumper to give the Lakers a 50-42 lead, Karl drew a technical from Capers. Assistant coach Ed Gregory tried to hold Karl back, but Karl stuck his hand in Gregory’s chest and shoved him away.

“I don’t remember what I did?” Karl said with a small smile. “Was it that bad?”

Riley said Karl was yelling something about a moving pick.

“If I did that to my assistant coach, Bill Bertka, he’d knock me on my butt,” Riley said with a laugh.

Karl didn’t want to get specific about what set him off.

“The guy used a word to me that if I had used, it would have gotten me thrown out,” Karl said. “I said enough to get a second one (technical), but he didn’t give it to me.”

Jerry West, the Laker general manager, stopped by to commiserate with the plight of Karl, who last season took the Warriors into the playoffs. Friday night, Karl’s team was given the onceover by the Laker reserves, led by Kurt Rambis, who had a season-high 17 points in 19 minutes. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had scored a total of six points in his last two games, had 10 Friday night, all in the first half.

Johnson had 8 points, on 1-of-5 shooting, and 10 assists, before taking the rest of the night off. He said he could have played if needed, and intends to be there Sunday.

“I can’t sit out,” Johnson said. “Coop is out. Without him, we can’t afford to lose any more bodies.”

The Warriors long ago passed that point.

“It’s been hard,” Karl said softly. “It’s been different. It’s somewhat easier, I guess, because I’m established, but every day you go out and you’re ready to improve, get better, but an injury sets you back. Or the young kids’ confidence.”

Kids like rookie Winston Garland, who made just 5 of 19 shots Friday night.

“I just love that little . . . “ Karl said. “I love that point guard. He’s had two or three bad games in a row, but I still love him.

“We just have to hang in there.”