Lakers Switch Lights Out Early : Pro basketball: They never let Knicks get back in game, limiting Ewing to 12 points on four-of-16 shooting in 118-97 victory.

With victory over the New York Knicks secured astonishingly early Tuesday night, Laker regulars spent what figured to be the tense minutes of the fourth quarter in various states of repose.

Mychal Thompson had a towel draped over his shoulder and arms crossed. Magic Johnson slouched with his right leg dangling on the court. A.C. Green had his legs crossed as if he were some bored businessman. Byron Scott had such a good time he had to put hand to mouth to keep from laughing. Even Coach Pat Riley stopped pacing.

The Lakers, indeed, had every reason to relax and enjoy the closing minutes of a 118-97 victory over the New York Knicks before 18,212 at Madison Square Garden who watched in stunned silence.

Coming off a road victory Sunday over the Detroit Pistons, the Lakers seemed confident about handling the difficult task of beating Patrick Ewing and the Knicks at home, something only one other team--the Phoenix Suns--had done this season.

They did it by double- and even triple-teaming Ewing whenever he received a pass in the low post. They did it by taking advantage of every fast-break opportunity. And they did it with the suddenly hot outside shooting of Byron Scott, who made nine of 14 shots to lead the Lakers with 19 points.

In short, the Lakers (29-9) played about as well as they can. Conversely, the Atlantic Division-leading Knicks, losers of four consecutive games, played about as poorly as in any of their 14 losses this season.

The Lakers made 58% of their shots. Thompson and a team of Laker defenders limited Ewing to 12 points, the Knick center making only four of 16 shots. The Knicks shot only 43% and were outrebounded by the shorter Lakers, 50-37.

Knick Coach Stu Jackson termed his team’s effort “high-schoolish.” But even someone as frustrated as Jackson credited the Lakers for taking advantage of the Knicks in such a state.

The Knick problems started with Ewing. Thompson was the first line of defense, playing behind the New York center, but Thompson received help from Laker guards and forwards often even before the Knicks tried to pass inside.

“Defensively, we were just committed to stopping Ewing, because that’s the only way to beat these guys,” Thompson said. “He just didn’t have room to maneuver. We had to treat him like he was the Vatican Embassy (in Panama City) and we were the U.S. troops surrounding it. Now, (Ewing) knows how (Manuel) Noriega felt. He saw Americans everywhere.”

Actually, Ewing saw a Bahamian (Thompson) and a Yugoslav (Vlade Divac) as well as Americans draped over him. And, because Ewing’s teammates also shot poorly, it was a long, cold night for the Knicks.

“I felt there was a swarm around me all night,” Ewing said. “It seemed like there were five guys at all times. I felt like I was in college again with the zone defense. But you have to give them credit because they never let us get back in.”

By the end of the first quarter, the Lakers had a 30-16 lead, 10 of their last 14 points in the quarter coming off the fast break after Knick misses.

It was no different in the second quarter, when the Lakers took a 57-41 halftime lead. The Lakers’ half-court trap unnerved the Knicks, and the perimeter shooting of Scott and Michael Cooper, among others, buried Knick hopes.

Ewing made only two of 13 shots in the first half. All told, the Knicks made only 36% of their shots to that point.

Instead of allowing even the beginnings of a comeback in the second half, the Lakers turned relentless.

When A.C. Green was not converting on one of his eight offensive rebounds en route to an impressive 13-point, 14-rebound effort, it was Worthy sinking jump shots for 18 points and Johnson passing for the last three of his 13 assists.

And, when the starters rested, the Laker reserves outplayed Knick starters and reserves. Point guard Larry Drew sank three three-point shots, only one fewer than he has all season. Divac, playing before a gathering of Yugoslav ex-patriots and foreign journalists, had four blocked shots, including rejections against Charles Oakley on consecutive possessions.

“If we play like we did tonight, with our defense, it’ll be tough for anybody to beat us,” Cooper said. “This and the Detroit game are the two best back-to-back games we’ve played this season. But we can still get better.”

Laker Notes

After being held scoreless in the first half of the game against the Detroit Pistons, Byron Scott broke through for 14 points in the second half. His hot streak continued Tuesday, when he scored 15 first-half points against the Knicks before sitting out much of the second-half rout. When asked if Scott’s slump is over, Laker Coach Pat Riley said, “You hope. I believe in him. It’s been difficult for Byron, but we are working harder to get him open for shots, and he’s working harder, too.” Said Scott: “I feel a lot better about my shot selection, and my leg (left hamstring) feels a lot stronger than it did in the last two months. I’m more into the game now. I’m working harder.” . . . Riley earned his 499th regular-season victory Tuesday.

The Lakers 58.3% shooting was a season high. . . . New York’s four-game losing streak is the club’s longest since Dec. 1-6 of 1987. Over the last two seasons, the Knicks are 52-8 at home. The Lakers are responsible for two of those losses. “We played the worst we played for a very, very long time,” Gerald Wilkins said. “I haven’t seen anything this bad since the year we lost 56 or 57 games. Even then, it wasn’t this bad.”