Nuggets Slow It Down, Can’t Stay Up With Magic : Lakers: Despite getting special attention, Johnson has a triple-double in 122-105 victory over Denver.

The Lakers prepared themselves for the full running, trapping, mile-high oxygen-sucking fury of Paul Ball, and what did they get?

Token pressure. Out of respect for Magic Johnson, Denver Nugget Coach Paul Westhead pulled his press back Monday night, hoping to tire out Johnson, instead. Magic’s fatigue didn’t preclude posting his third triple-double in five games as the Lakers cruised, 122-105.

For the first time since the mousse era, the Lakers have won two games in a row. They play Denver again Wednesday night at the Forum as new Coach Mike Dunleavy chases that elusive .500 mark.

The Nuggets’ pressure might have bothered Curt Gowdy’s Wyoming team or Hank Iba’s Oklahoma State but for the Lakers, it was a red carpet to the hoop.

Johnson had 21 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. The rest of the roster celebrated get-well night. The shooting guards, Byron Scott and Terry Teagle, firing at 39% and 38% respectively, went a combined 14 for 26. A.C. Green came off the bench to post his season high, 18 points.

“To tell you the truth, I thought they were pretty conservative tonight,” Dunleavy said.

“The only adjustment we made was to change our press to start the game,” Westhead said. “We didn’t want to trap Magic because he’d just pass it ahead. We wanted to work him the full length of the court.

“It didn’t succeed. It didn’t succeed because we didn’t work him hard enough. Come the third quarter, our guys are tired and he’s playing half-court basketball with us. He’s playing in the pivot and having a good old time.”

It almost succeeded in a sense. The Lakers were forced to call time out in the third quarter, as Johnson and several others came wheezing back to the bench.

However, they were tired from scoring baskets. They had just outscored the Nuggets, 12-4, to open up an 85-66 lead.

To an increasing crowd of Denver skeptics, Johnson later politely pointed out Westhead’s burden: new, young personnel, a new system.

The system, itself: Would Johnson like to play it?

“If I was younger,” he said. “If he (Westhead) had had me a few years ago, yes. Right now, I don’t think I could, at this age.”

Westhead did have Johnson a few years ago, when Magic was younger. You’ll remember they had a disagreement about pace, but that’s another story.

“The running might be nice,” Scott said, “but I wouldn’t like the trapping. I don’t want to be critical, but it’s not practical, not in the NBA. Teams are too good. Players are too good. You get layups. If you don’t, you pull the ball out and run your offense.”

Indeed, the Lakers played Sunday night in Los Angeles, flew to Denver after the game, slept in Monday, then prepared for this game by walking through a practice in a hotel ballroom.

With that much drill, they committed only 12 turnovers.

They also got to shoot many layups, dunks and what have you. This made them feel a lotbetter.

“It’s too bad it’s come slow,” Johnson said, “but the good thing is, it’s coming. We wanted to see some of the old Lakers and here they come now. Our game is to get up, get into the open court and do the things we do best.”

In that case, here’s good news for them: Westhead says the Nuggets are going to turn it up in Wednesday’s rematch. This time, the Lakers will be the home team and they’ll be coming off a day off, rather than four games in five nights in four cities.

“If that (a slowdown) was a byproduct, it wasn’t intended,” Westhead said. “If anything, we’ll try to up the tempo Wednesday.”

If you don’t see the Lakers of old, it won’t be for lack of opportunity.

Laker Notes

James Worthy shot nine for 22 and scored 25 points. He was to fly all night--on the Laker charter back to Los Angeles, then on a red-eye to Houston--to appear at his arraignment this morning. . . . The Lakers failed to shoot 50% for the eighth time in nine games. On the other hand, by holding Denver to 43.1%, they lowered their defensive average below 50% for the first time this season. . . . Byron Scott was fined $1,000 by the NBA for his part in Friday night’s fight with James Donaldson of the Dallas Mavericks. Donaldson was fined $3,000. Said Scott: “I’m surprised. You look at the films and he initiated everything. I guess I was fined for retaliating. I’m not upset, but I’m surprised.”