Lakers Can See the Top : Pro basketball: They eat up Nuggets, 121-108, and cut Portland’s lead to 2 1/2 games. Teagle has 23.

Making up for that meal Charles Barkley was going to buy but Magic Johnson turned down because of exhaustion, the Lakers had dinner on former teammate Orlando Woolridge Wednesday and the Nuggets for dessert Thursday night.

Reserve Terry Teagle scored 23 points in 21 minutes and the Lakers romped past the overmatched-by-a-Mile-High Nuggets, 121-108, slicing the Portland Trail Blazers’ lead to 2 1/2 games, the closest they have been since the season was four games old.

Thus the Lakers went 4-2 on their toughest trip of the season, without Sam Perkins, and gained a game on the Trail Blazers, who were home for three of five games.

The Trail Blazers play at Philadelphia tonight and Boston Sunday while the Lakers play at home against Orlando and Houston.

Remember all those times the Lakers said, “We don’t worry about catching Portland?”

Catching Portland just climbed onto the agenda.

“I thought we would catch them by early March after they got off to an 18-1 start,” Mychal Thompson said. “Well, March is here.

“We’ll be in first place by the end of next week.”

Writers began scribbling faster and giggling among themselves.

“Is that such a shocking or amazing statement to make?” Thompson asked. “I just believe in the confidence level of this team.

“They (Trail Blazers) have been looking back over their shoulders since we closed to within five games. They can see the smog coming up to Portland from L.A.”

Let’s just say the Lakers felt good. There is no better way to end a long trip than by visiting the Nuggets, who know something about hospitality.

Arriving in town Tuesday, Byron Scott, A.C. Green and Vlade Divac took in the Nuggets’ 129-99 loss to the Houston Rockets.

Wednesday, Woolridge had his former teammates plus trainer Gary Vitti and publicist John Black to his townhouse for dinner.

Thursday, the rested Lakers went about their business with minimal disruptions while the scoreboard flashed updates from Portland’s loss at Atlanta.

“When we started out, if you’d have said we’d go 4-2 without Sam Perkins, I would have been very happy,” Coach Mike Dunleavy said.

“I was trying not to lose any ground and we’ve picked up a little. It’s a nice surprise.”

The game was formally competitive for one quarter but a Laker parade by halftime. The Nuggets were better than they were Tuesday, when the Laker scouting party looked them over and guard Michael Adams complained that they had “folded our tents” and “sort of quit.”

“I’ll tell you, I was shocked last year when the Lakers got beat by Phoenix,” said Adams, who scored 31 points. “You could say, when I’m not playing I’m a Laker fan. They’ve got the weapons to go right back and contend for a championship.”

After averaging 43 minutes in the first five games of the trip, James Worthy played a mere 29 Thursday. Dunleavy, however, worked Johnson for 37, fearing, he said, that the Lakers would lose their iron grip.

Said Dunleavy: “It’s too late in the season to give a team life.”

“Our whole thing,” Johnson said, “we just got to take care of ourselves. If we do that, we’ll let the chips fall where they may. We’ll get Sam back hopefully next week. Once we get back off (next week’s) road trip, we can really do some damage, if we come back the way we’re supposed to.”

Laker Notes

A special shoe is being constructed to protect Sam Perkins’ broken left little toe. Mike Dunleavy said Perkins hasn’t started running yet and is unlikely to return before Sunday against Houston.