The Magic-Less Lakers Can’t Even Handle New-Look Suns

It hasn’t gotten to the point where you could pull any five guys off the street and they’d beat the Lakers. But when the Phoenix Suns--barely recognizable after the most complete makeover this side of Michael Jackson--can hang a loss on the Lakers, it makes you wonder.

The Suns, who last month traded nearly everybody but Walter Davis and their mascot--and the Gorilla is rumored to be on the block for an orangutan to be named later--beat the Lakers, 102-95, Saturday night for the Lakers’ fourth loss in the five games that Magic Johnson has missed with a groin strain.

Johnson and Michael Cooper (sprained ankle) were both back in Los Angeles, presumably watching the game on TV, although the temptation to switch the channel to something more entertaining--the PBS station is having its annual pledge drive--must have been great.

But at least this one was close, unlike the three Magic-less blowouts (an average of 15.7 points) which preceded it, mixed in with a win against New Jersey. It was a three-point game, 98-95, in the last half-minute when Suns rookie Armon Gilliam missed a wide-open 10-footer and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar grabbed the rebound. But James Worthy had the ball knocked away by newcomer Tyrone Corbin--who beat the Lakers once already this season with a tip-in in Cleveland--and Davis beat everyone down the floor for a layup.

That made it a five-point game, and Gilliam, the No. 1 draft choice from Nevada Las Vegas who led all scorers with 24 points--threw down a jam at the buzzer, touching off either a Suns celebration or another round of introductions.

“It wasn’t that bad,” said Coach Pat Riley, who evidently saw something in defeat this time that he didn’t see in Portland last Tuesday, when he mocked the team’s effort.

“We have to face the fact--and you hope it’s on a temporary basis--that right now we’re like everybody else in the league without two guys who mean so much to us.

“We’re fighting for our lives, struggling to win games.”

In that, they have much in common with the Suns, who had lost nine straight games after shuttling Larry Nance, Mike Sanders, James Edwards, and Jay Humphries out of town and importing (from Cleveland) Kevin Johnson, Mark West, and Corbin, (from Milwaukee) Craig Hodges, and (from Detroit) Ron Moore. The Suns now have won three straight and trail San Antonio by 4 1/2 games for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

“What do you guys think?” Phoenix Coach John Wetzel said to reporters, after slyly pulling a magazine story out of his briefcase--”How to Stop the Laker Fast Break.”

Said Wetzel: “We did look good. We’re starting to play now. We’re starting to get consistent effort from start to finish. And we’re gradually starting to eliminate some dead spots.”

The Lakers, meanwhile, continue to expose theirs, most notably in the backcourt, where Wes Matthews--who had played so well in selected relief roles--continued to struggle as a stand-in starter for Magic.

This was not a total disaster like in Portland, where Matthews committed four turnovers in just 13 minutes before getting the hook from Riley. Against the Suns, he had 10 points and 7 assists in 30 minutes, and made his biggest impact early in the fourth quarter, when he scored off the break, spotted James Worthy for an easy layup, then set up Worthy for a jumper, cutting an eight-point Phoenix lead to two, 79-77.

Matthews gave the Lakers their last lead when he slapped the ball away from Phoenix guard Jeff Hornacek, then broke down court for a long lead pass from Mychal Thompson and the layup that put the Lakers ahead, 85-83, with 6:51 to go. But shortly thereafter, he lost the ball near midcourt trying to dribble between his legs and, with the game on the line, Riley still opted to go with a one-guard lineup, pulling Matthews for A.C. Green with 3:38 left, leaving Byron Scott as the team’s only ball-handler.

The score was tied at 91 when Thompson--who led the Lakers with 21 points and 13 rebounds--missed a runner. Abdul-Jabbar and Hornacek slapped at the rebound, with Hornacek retrieving the ball at midcourt and sending Corbin in for a layup. Corbin missed the free throw, but Hornacek grabbed the rebound and West--whose greatest impact had been on the defensive end, where he’d blocked eight shots--tipped home a Corbin miss, was fouled and made the free throw. That made it 96-91 with 1:25 to go.

And it wasn’t long afterward that Riley was being asked if the Lakers needed some help to get through his period without Johnson and Cooper.

“I’d hate to have to do that,” Riley said, “adding someone for 10 days to come in and help us. There ain’t anybody out there to help us. Someone foreign? It looks like some of our guys are foreign.