Lakers Accept Blame : Pro basketball: No excuses are offered after 121-118 overtime loss to Suns at Phoenix.

Grudgingly, the Lakers took responsibility for the outcome. They did not look for others to blame for their 121-118 overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns Tuesday night.

All right, maybe some bemoaning of what might have been could be heard in the losing locker room.

The temptation, after all, was strong to suggest that outside forces conspired against them. A questionable loose-ball foul on Magic Johnson with 17.7 seconds to play and the Lakers trailing by one point was a game-altering call, as was a less controversial goaltending call on Orlando Woolridge with 1:52 left in overtime.

Most Lakers, however, looked inward to explain their second consecutive close road loss. Foremost among the reasons for the Lakers’ inability to hold a fourth-quarter lead and stop the Suns in overtime was poor rebounding and a recurrence of the Lakers’ stagnant offense.

Add that to 34 points each from Kevin Johnson and Tom Chambers and Johnson’s 15 assists and four high-pressure free throws in the last 10.6 seconds--finishing in a veritable draw with Magic’s 24 points and 24 assists in the battle of the Johnsons--and the Lakers dropped to 23-8. In the process, their lead over the San Antonio Spurs (22-8) for the NBA’s best record was reduced to a half game.

“I don’t think anyone is happy going on the road and playing hard but losing by one or two points,” Laker Coach Pat Riley said. “What hurt us late in the fourth quarter and overtime was not blocking out on the defensive boards. I mean, (Mark) West, Kurt (Rambis) and (Dan) Majerle were digging out second shots. They also flattened out our offense, but I thought (rebounding) was the determining factor.”

Laker players agreed. But some also could not help but wonder what might have happened had referee Ken Mauer not whistled Johnson for a loose-ball foul against Jeff Hornacek after Tom Chambers’ jump shot sailed long and was rebounded by a Laker.

Instead of the Lakers having the ball for a potential last shot with 17.7 seconds to play, Hornacek made both free throws for a 117-114 Phoenix lead.

“That was the call of the game,” Laker center Mychal Thompson said. “That hurt us because 99.9% of the time, Magic comes through for us on last-second shots. Having the ball in Magic’s possession with a last chance is better than having cash in your hand.”

Johnson, whose 24 assists tied the club record he set Nov. 17 in Denver, was ruled to have pushed Hornacek as he went toward the ball.

“The ball had gone over my head, and I did push him to go and (retrieve the ball),” Johnson said. “But he (the referee) made the call, so I guess it was a good call. I’m just going to let it go at that. It was a no-win situation.”

Hornacek seemed to question the call more than Johnson. Of course, it was after the fact. The Suns’ victory was in the books.

“There was some type of collision, but I had my back turned, so I don’t know,” Hornacek said. “I had to be happy with the call, but that is not one you normally see late in the game. Maybe if I was closer to the ball, maybe it (the call) would have been more justified.” Riley and others on the Laker bench reacted strongly when the call was made. Afterward, however, Riley did not mention the call until reporters brought it up.

“I don’t know,” Riley said with a sigh. “With all the pushing going on, who knows? But to make a call like that in a very competitive game at that time in the game, with a ball flying toward the sideline, well, it looked like a ridiculous call to make. It was not the type of call you’d expect after 48 minutes of tough basketball.”

Actually, the teams were in their 52nd minute when the call was made. After Hornacek made both free throws, the Lakers called a timeout and set up a three-point attempt.

Kevin Johnson fouled Byron Scott, who missed the first free-throw attempt but made the second to cut Phoenix’s lead to 117-115 with 11.6 seconds left. The Lakers, needing a quick foul, took only one second to foul Kevin Johnson, who made both free throws for a 119-115 lead with 10.6 seconds to play.

The Lakers seemed out of it at that point, but Magic Johnson was not finished. When the Lakers set up at midcourt with Michael Cooper inbounding the ball, Johnson ran a loop around the court and took the pass on the left wing. With Hornacek closely covering him, Johnson took two dribbles and let fly a three-point attempt that swished through the basket.

Suddenly, the Lakers had cut Phoenix’s lead to 119-118 with seven seconds to play. The Lakers, again, needed to foul quickly, and Kevin Johnson went to the free-throw line with 5.5 seconds left after receiving the inbounds pass.

As he did 5.1 seconds earlier, Johnson made both free throw shots. The Lakers, out of timeouts, tried to find Cooper in the far corner for a last-second three-point shot. But Magic Johnson’s pass was intercepted by Chambers, and the Suns (15-14) had secured the 121-118 victory.

In control most of the game, the Lakers’ fourth-quarter lead evaporated because of cold shooting. They made one of their first six shots in the quarter and, by the time Riley called time out, the Suns had taken an 84-83 lead.

It was close the rest of the way, neither team building more than a four-point lead.

With 56 seconds left in regulation, Johnson missed one of two free throws to give the Lakers only a 102-100 lead. That set up a game-tying basket by the Suns after an offensive rebound. Majerle missed a jump shot with about 30 seconds left, but Rambis kept the ball alive with a tip and Majerle saved the ball before it sailed out of bounds. His pass went to Kevin Johnson, who passed to Chambers for a successful jumper.

The Lakers had the last shot to win it in the regulation, but Scott’s off-balance jumper failed, and A.C. Green’s desperation follow attempt with three seconds left also fell short.