A Little Alarm Wakes Up Lakers : NBA playoffs: Worthy scores 23 points in the first half as they get even with Suns, 124-100.

Snapping out of the inert state in which they have dwelt for much of the playoffs, the Lakers finally showed the vibrancy expected of them all along in demolishing the Phoenix Suns Thursday night in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Shocked into action after a two-point loss at home in the opener of this best-of-seven series, the Lakers did not merely beat the Suns to even the series. Their 124-100 victory before 17,505 at the Forum was an awakening experience.

At least, that is what the Lakers hope, as the series moves to Phoenix for Games 3 and 4 on Saturday and Sunday. Thursday’s effort was their best by far of six playoff games, the home-court loss finally getting their attention. “Our state of mind was different,” Laker Coach Pat Riley said.

“We had to come out and play with intensity, play Laker basketball,” A.C. Green said.

For once, the Laker coach dealt in understatement. Dominating the Suns from start to finish, with no lapses in between, the Lakers made 56.8% of their shots and essentially had it won by taking a 13-point first-quarter lead.

The Suns almost expected as much. Their coach, Cotton Fitzsimmons, predicted the Lakers would play with “fire in their nostrils” in Game 2. Try as the Suns might, they could not extinguish the Laker flame.

James Worthy was too much for any of four Suns to stop, scoring 23 of his 27 points in the first half. Magic Johnson had his best game of the playoffs, scoring 21 points, passing for 14 assists and committing only two turnovers. Green had 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Strong bench play came from Orlando Woolridge, who made nine of 11 shots for 21 points, and Vlade Divac, who had 16 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots. Byron Scott scored 11 of his 18 points in the first quarter, almost single-handedly sealing the Suns’ fate.

The Laker defense, which allowed Sun center Mark West to roam free in Game 1, shut off all offensive forces except for guard Jeff Hornacek, who had 18 points.

Point guard Kevin Johnson, who maintains his hip pointer is not bothersome, made only four of 12 shots. He had 12 points and 12 assists. Tom Chambers made four of 11 shots and had only nine points. And West? Well, the hero of Game 1 had only nine points, five rebounds and one blocked shot.

All the glaring problems that contributed to the loss in Game 1 seemed transferred to the Suns in Game 2. The Laker fast break was in gear, their half-court offense had movement and purpose, and they shut out nearly all the Suns’ scoring threats. Most important, perhaps, the Lakers held a 42-35 rebounding advantage.

As for the Lakers’ fourth-quarter problems, well, they played so well in the first three that it did not matter this time. If there was any doubt, Woolridge’s dunk off the fast break 23 seconds into the fourth quarter gave the Lakers a 26-point lead and no doubt got the Suns thinking about Game 3.

“We knew the Lakers would play this way,” Fitzsimmons said. “What we wanted to do was play good enough to keep pushing back, pushing back, pushing back against them and try to stay close going into the fourth quarter.”

Since that didn’t happen, the Suns return to Phoenix this morning with a split in the Forum. Worse things could have happened. Fitzsimmons won’t have to wear that lucky golf shirt he borrowed from trainer Joe Proski, and the Lakers won’t have to wear the hair shirt of being down 0-2 heading into Phoenix.

Riley said the Lakers’ problem in Tuesday night’s two-point loss, as well as their difficulty in eliminating the Houston Rockets in the first round, was mental more than physical.

“It’s hard to explain,” Riley said. “We had 63 wins in the regular season, and I didn’t know what was wrong. I asked one of our captains (the Lakers have three) the other day, and he couldn’t put a finger on it, either.”

Riley offered a theory, however.

“Maybe they were so concerned about the home-court advantage, about the playoffs as a whole, that they forgot about the (individual) games,” he said. “Maybe it was time to stop thinking and just play.

“We played the game freely. We had to let go. We had been depleting our energy with too many thoughts.”

The Lakers certainly responded with verve of playoffs past Thursday night.

“You’ve got to go 48 (minutes) from here on out,” Magic Johnson said. “You’ve got to play like that when you’re playing this team. We played a total game tonight.”

The Lakers almost had been able to get by so far with sporadic play. But against the Suns, winners of 54 games this season, the Lakers said they realize it will take more.

“We had collective intensity tonight, and that’s what it’s going to take,” Worthy said. “It was five guys--eight guys, counting the bench--for a full 48 minutes. When you lose a game like we did, you have to come back even more intense.”

Worthy was especially active. Again guarded by Kurt Rambis--later, Chambers, Tim Perry and Eddie Johnson took stabs--Worthy chose to drive to the basket more than he did in Game 1. A few driving baskets made the defense sag, enabling Worthy to make open jump shots. As in Game 1, Worthy was shut out in the fourth quarter. Only this time, he spent most of it reclining on the bench.

Before Magic Johnson took a seat next to Worthy, the Laker point guard was more active offensively. He shook off the physically draining defense of Hornacek and Majerle and penetrated for scoop shots or passes to open teammates.

“We just ran the offense and executed,” Riley said. “We didn’t make any radical changes. We may have settled for too many jumpers in the first game. We’ve got to attack Phoenix before they attack you.”

The Lakers’ vigorous counter-attack Thursday may have stunned the Suns, but they hardly seemed mortally wounded.

“The amounts of wins or losses has no bearing on us,” Fitzsimmons said. “It won’t matter Saturday (in Game 3). I’m disappointed. We’d like to be 2-0 going home. But 1-1 is better than 0-2.”

Laker Notes

Laker Coach Pat Riley altered his substitution pattern for Game 2. Larry Drew, who had played only a total of 11 minutes in three playoff appearances, played 19 minutes and gave Magic Johnson a breather in the first half. Michael Cooper, usually in the rotation, played only the last 24 seconds of the first half, but played 15 minutes in the second half. Cooper missed the three shots he attempted. He has made one of 18 shots in the playoffs.

Laker center Mychal Thompson said his sore left heel, which has bothered him all season, has flared considerably during the playoffs. He said the pain subsides when he starts running but returns when he sits down. “Sometimes, I wonder whether I can play another three years with this heel,” Thompson said before Thursday night’s game. “I feel like an elf is down there pounding on it with a little hammer. It hurts all the time. Every morning, I move like Fred Sanford. I wonder how much longer I can play, but then I look at my paycheck.”

The Lakers also lost their home opener against Detroit in the 1988 finals, then came back to win the championship in seven games.