Portland Picks an Odd Time to Lay Off Magic

He couldn’t have felt any worse than Portland’s Jerome Kersey--who played Friday night with a sprained wrist, a sprained shoulder and five stitches above his eye--but Magic Johnson was feeling, and showing, the effects of the Lakers’ 106-105 win over the Trail Blazers at the Forum.

“I got really banged up tonight,” said Johnson, who had a scratch on his left cheek that looked as if he’d been in a sword fight. He also had been on the receiving end of an open-court tackle by Clyde Drexler, who went to a prevent defense to keep Johnson from sending Byron Scott away for an uncontested dunk.

But when it mattered most--with 16 seconds left and the Trail Blazers down by just a point after Drexler’s sneak-away layup--Portland refused to lay a hand on Johnson--or any of the other Lakers, for that matter. Portland let time run out without commiting a foul, which would have put the ball back in their hands for one last shot.

“We were all pretty shocked,” Scott said.

The way the Trail Blazers were going, it might not have made a difference. They had led the Lakers, 103-100, with 2:40 left, and had a chance to go up by 5, when Johnson was called for charging, but they were unable to score on their next 4 possessions.

After 2 missed shots, forward Steve Johnson was called for a loose-ball foul. Johnson was fouled at the other end, made two free throws, and it was 103-102.

The next time down, center Kevin Duckworth, isolated against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, was whistled for traveling. James Worthy, who chased down a loose ball in the corner to salvage a Laker possession, hit a hanging jumper in the lane to put the Lakers ahead, 104-103.

Kersey then lost the dribble to Johnson, who was tackled by Drexler with 54 seconds left. When Johnson converted those free throws--he was 10 for 10 from the line--the Lakers were ahead to stay.

Johnson kept it that way by blocking a shot by a hemmed-in Duckworth along the baseline with 40 seconds to go, but when Scott missed a jumper, guard Terry Porter rebounded and spotted Drexler for the layup that made it a one-point game.

With the screams of Portland Coach Mike Schuler apparently drowned out by a sellout crowd of 17,505, Porter let Johnson dribble away 10 seconds without fouling him. Johnson finally passed to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who then unloaded the ball to Scott, and the buzzer went off.

“When I picked up Magic full-court I didn’t see the clock,” a chastened Porter said. “And I couldn’t hear (Schuler).”

Kersey, who scored 14 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and played 41 minutes in his banged-up condition, thought both he and Drexler--who led all scorers with 28 points--hacked Abdul-Jabbar in the corner.

“We both fouled him,” Kersey said. “Clyde hacked him on the pass. The referee was down there, but he didn’t make the call.”

To foul or not to foul wasn’t even the question, Schuler said. “We wanted to get a quick foul,” he said, “and we didn’t foul.”

That was a mystery to Magic. What was he thinking as he brought the ball up the floor, uncontested?

“I’m happy,” he said. “I’m thinking, great, nobody is moving toward me. I was really surprised.”

He also was relieved, he said, after having missed a rare dunk attempt with the Lakers ahead by a point, 98-97.

“I thought Clyde was going to jump at me, so I wanted to come down with the ball,” said Johnson, whose shot caromed hard off the back rim.

“I felt a lot of responsibility after I missed that. I thought, ‘Let me make sure we don’t lose this game because of me.”’

Not to worry. Johnson led the Lakers, who were playing without Michael Cooper, with 26 points and 9 assists. He also had 6 rebounds and 4 steals.

Eleven of Johnson’s points came in the fourth quarter. Scott had 24 points, Worthy 22 and A.C. Green 17. Those points became more essential because of almost nonexistent help from the bench--the Laker reserves had just 9 points, with Orlando Woolridge (1 for 12 in the last 2 games) and Mychal Thompson (0 for 2 Friday) scoring just 2 points each.

That meant more playing time for Abdul-Jabbar, who still couldn’t break into double figures for the sixth time in seven games--he had 8 points--but did contribute 8 rebounds, all in the first half.

Could Johnson imagine the Lakers letting the clock run out without a foul?

“Oh, no, I don’t ever see ourselves letting it run out--we always end up fouling,” he said.

”...But sometimes when you’re on a losing streak (Portland is 3-5), things don’t click in. Bad things continue to happen to you.”

And for now, the clock keeps ticking away for the Trail Blazers.

Laker Notes

Laker guard Michael Cooper was taken to Centinela Hospital Medical Center before the game for X-rays and other tests after suffering what team officials described as back spasms. “He had an acute episode,” trainer Gary Vitti said. “He was very uncomfortable--he couldn’t sit or stand. Vitti said that Cooper’s symptoms suggested a sciatic nerve condition but added that he would be tested for a possible herniated disk. Cooper had been struggling in the team’s last half-dozen games, averaging just 2.7 points while shooting 22.2% (6 for 27), including 1 for 10 from 3-point range. He played just 10 minutes in the Lakers’ 101-98 loss at Seattle Thursday night, scoring 2 points and committing 2 glaring turnovers. Before Thursday’s game, he had received treatment on his back, which he may have hurt while taking a fall after blocking a shot by Denver’s Jerome Lane Tuesday night.

Cooper made no mention of his injury Thursday when questioned about his slow start; instead, he indirectly alluded to the fact that his playing minutes were down. He’s averaging 17 minutes a game, which ranks eighth on the team. “I could be pressing,” Cooper said, “but it’s been difficult the way the rotation is going. Coach (Pat) Riley is trying to use bigger lineups, using Orlando (Woolridge) and Mychal (Thompson) more, which is understandable. I just have to wait and bide my time. We’re winning, so you can’t be disruptive about anything the coach is saying. It’s just a CD--coach’s decision.” Magic Johnson thought that Cooper--who is coming off an ankle injury and the worst offensive season of his career--might be pressing. “Coop puts a lot of pressure on himself,” Johnson said. “He’s got to be the reckless Coop. He’s reading, looking too much, instead of being himself.” . . . The last waltz: Laker fans apparently have seen the last of Dancing Barry. The team did not ask him to return this season; he’s currently plying his shtick in the Continental Basketball Assn.