Woolridge Refreshes the Lakers : Pro basketball: Los Angeles forward comes off bench to score 24 points in 114-98 victory over Nuggets.

No longer does Pat Riley look past Orlando Woolridge when scouring the bench for help, as if the Laker forward were just another well-to-do fan in a courtside seat.

As often as not these days, Woolridge is called upon to lift the Lakers from a self-induced malaise such as in Wednesday night’s game against the Denver Nuggets.

Though he did not do it alone, Woolridge played a major role in averting what could have been a rare home-court loss, scoring 24 points to help the Lakers pull away from the Nuggets, 114-98, before 17,505 at the Forum.

After missing the first 20 games of the season because of arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, Woolridge had been slow to work his way back into Riley’s expanded substitution rotation. Wednesday, though, Woolridge was the first Laker off the bench in the first quarter and the last reserve to leave the court after victory had been secured.

In between, Woolridge was a prime mover in the Lakers’ fourth consecutive victory, which improved their record to an NBA-best 22-6. Woolridge made 11 of 13 shots and surpassed his previous season high of 22 points, which he scored in last Friday’s victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Support came from Magic Johnson, who had 27 points and seven assists, and Larry Drew, who had four steals, a team-high eight assists and four points in 19 minutes. It was the first time this season, other than the Nov. 7 game in which he was ejected, that Johnson has not led the Lakers in assists.

Even more than Drew’s contribution, however, the Lakers needed Woolridge’s effort to overcome the Nuggets (19-11).

“Coach has confidence in me now,” Woolridge said. “I like that. I think that, now, Coach knows what I can do.”

But even Woolridge, who had trouble adapting to the role as a reserve power forward last season, admitted mild surprise when Riley picked him to be the first player off a bench that Johnson called the Lakers’ “deepest I’ve seen.”

“I really didn’t think about it until somebody mentioned it,” Woolridge said. “When Coach makes the call, you just get up and play. You don’t ask questions. But after a while, I was out there thinking, hmmm, I’m playing with (the starters). But I like it. I want to play the minutes.”

Inserted into the lineup five minutes after the opening tipoff, Woolridge helped the Lakers fight back from an early double-digit deficit.

Then, coming in with 5:07 to play in the third quarter and the Nuggets leading, 72-70, Woolridge and Drew led a resurgence that gave the Lakers an 84-76 lead entering the fourth quarter.

As if afraid to stop a good thing, Riley stayed with Woolridge almost the entire fourth quarter, the Laker forward responding with 12 points in that span. When Woolridge finally sat down with only 1:13 to play, the Lakers had a 114-93 lead.

It was during the final minutes of the third quarter that the Laker bench proved its worth. When play stopped for a timeout with 2:16 to play, the Lakers still trailed the Nuggets, 76-74. They had made only three of 18 shots in the quarter and Johnson was replaced by Drew.

The Laker offense was immediately jump-started, and the Nuggets went cold. The result was a 10-0 run in which the Lakers went four for four from the field and the Nuggets missed the three shots they took. That run began with Woolridge sinking a jump shot with 2:06 to play.

Woolridge and Drew continued to dominate in the fourth quarter. Drew came up with three crucial steals and Woolridge scored from outside and inside and even made both free throws he shot.

“We have to do that,” Johnson said of the strong Laker bench play. “We just can’t look for me all the time. Larry Drew can push the ball and create things. And O (Woolridge) is hitting the jump shot now.”

Woolridge’s ability to score from outside is what Riley and Johnson believe makes him effective.

“It’s really nice now how he’s worked on his game,” Johnson said of Woolridge. “He’s making the jumper and his free throws, too. He’s worked really hard in practice.”

All of which has not gone unnoticed by Riley, who said that Woolridge approached him a few days ago and asked to play primarily small forward, the position for which he is most suited.

“It took (Woolridge) time to adjust to our system,” Riley said. “He’s playing well. If he plays like that, I’m going to give him the minutes.”

Doug Moe, the Nuggets’ coach, was in no mood to credit Woolridge or the Lakers.

“I really thought we stunk,” Moe said. “It was one of our worst games of late. Maybe I’m looking at it the wrong way, but I didn’t think (the Lakers) played that well.”

Laker Notes

The Lakers got 15 points and 13 rebounds from James Worthy and 12 points and 10 rebounds from Mychal Thompson. Thompson was playing in his second consecutive game after missing the previous six because of bursitis in his still painful left heel. “(The heel) has sort of reached a plateau I can play with,” Thompson said. “Before, it was painful to move.”