Magic Helps Keep Lakers Homeward Bound, 131-119 : Pro basketball: He gets 10th triple-double of season as club beats Golden State, opens 3 1/2-game lead over Detroit.

As long as the fading Detroit Pistons have even the slightest chance of catching them, the Lakers vow not to rest in their quest for the NBA’s best record.

Friday night was another example of the Lakers’ resolve. Aware that the Pistons had again lost even before they went to work, the Lakers didn’t ease up in defeating the Golden State Warriors, 131-119, before 17,505 at the Forum.

Soon, the Lakers (59-18) probably will not have to worry about the Pistons (56-22), just as they have recently repelled threats by Utah and Portland. All the Lakers need to do to clinch the league’s best record, as well as home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, is to win two of their remaining five games.

“That was just the kick we needed,” Orlando Woolridge said. “We knew if we’d get this win, it’d help our situation a lot more. Their loss was our gain.”

The Lakers, coming off a frustrating three-point loss at Utah on Thursday night, left little doubt as to their plans Friday. They took a 17-2 lead less than four minutes into the game and, essentially, were never seriously challenged thereafter.

Magic Johnson recorded his 10th triple-double of the season--and 122nd of his career--for the Lakers with 21 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds. He made eight of 12 shots and played only 32 minutes.

Other Lakers were equally productive. A.C. Green led the team with 24 points and 11 rebounds, his fourth consecutive strong showing after a prolonged slump. Byron Scott had 21 points, James Worthy had 17, Vlade Divac 13 and 10 rebounds and Woolridge 14 points.

The Warriors, who won’t have to worry about making the playoffs and facing the Lakers in the first round, made only 43.3% of their shots and were out-rebounded, 56-52. Sarunas Marciulionis led Golden State with 26 points. Chris Mullin and Terry Teagle each had 18.

Happy as the Lakers are to be so close to clinching the home-court advantage, they are not taking it for granted.

“I don’t want to be (like) the Philadelphia Phillies of ‘64,” Laker Coach Pat Riley said. “We’ve got to win two of our last five and I want to get it done as soon as we can. The fact that they (Laker players) looked at the scoreboard and saw that Detroit lost, well, they responded well.”

The Lakers, winners of eight of nine, might be playing their best ball of the season. “We just got to keep taking care of it,” Johnson said. “We wanted to come out from the beginning and play well. We didn’t want to come from behind and play catch-up with the way they can shoot.

“We didn’t have to atone for anything (Thursday night). We played good basketball (in the Utah loss). They just made a shot and a couple of free throws, and we lost.”

There was little danger of a second consecutive loss. In fact, Warrior Coach Don Nelson seemed to accept that fact very early Friday. Now that the Warriors’ playoff hopes have all but vanished, Nelson said he experimented with different combinations.

“We wanted to look at some people who haven’t been playing,” Nelson said. “Sometimes, winning is less important than other (times), and this was one of them.”

Nelson’s insistence on playing big men Chris Welp and Mike Smrek at the expense of his smaller, quicker lineup contributed to the Lakers’ dominance. But the Lakers, especially Green, have been playing well regardless of the competition.

Coming off an 18-point, 15-rebound performance against Utah, Green responded with another strong game in which he concentrated on the offensive boards. Green had six offensive rebounds against the Warriors.

Actually, Green’s re-emergence started when he scored 26 points and had a career-high 18 rebounds last Sunday at Denver.

“I asked him what happened, and first he said, ‘I don’t know,’ ” Riley said. “Then, he said, ‘I had a meeting with myself.’ I guess A.C. figured he has to play with reckless abandon. A.C. is back to his pre-All-Star (Game) level. His whole game is purity of effort and energy.”

Said Johnson: “He (Green) has just been sensational. He’s doing it on offense and on the boards for us. He’s really been active.”

Green was not alone, however. After an off-night against the Jazz, Divac made six of 12 shots and led the Lakers with four blocked shots, triggering fast breaks.

Laker Notes

Mychal Thompson missed his fourth consecutive game because of a hyper-extended right knee. Thompson said he will practice today before the club decides whether he will play Sunday night against Houston. “Akeem (Olajuwon) is who I want to come back for,” Thompson said. “If I can pass a test (in practice) against Mel McCants, all that bumping, pushing and scrapping, then I can play.”