Lakers Drop a Little Closer to Third Place : Pro basketball: L.A. loses three in a row for first time this season. Magic commits key turnover in 99-94 loss to Bucks.

The Lakers staged an 11-minute fairy tale, but it was a 12-minute quarter and in that last 60 seconds, real life intruded with a vengeance.

Native son and former Marquette star Tony Smith, playing at the bidding of former Buck assistant coach Mike Dunleavy, rose from the bench Thursday night to lead a late rally that cut a 13-point deficit to 95-94 before the one, the only, Magic Johnson, returned to . . .

Turn the ball over?

Yes, he did. Knocked it right off his own right knee with nobody around him in the backcourt. Dale Ellis fielded the bobble and passed it to Danny Schayes, who hit an unopposed layup and the Bucks went on to win, 99-94.

The Lakers thus lost their third game in a row for the first time this season. Now they are even closer to third place--1 1/2 ahead of the Phoenix Suns--than to first--3 1/2 behind the Portland Trail Blazers.

It was the Bucks’ first victory over a team with a winning record in two months.

The Lakers are not only 0-2 on this trip, they haven’t yet been in the lead.

For 36 minutes, before the Tony Smith miracle, the Lakers were bad as bad can be. They are exhausted, and none more than Johnson, the last to admit to fatigue.

Thursday he made three of 12 shots through three quarters, turned the ball over three times and the obvious had become undeniable.

“I hope this (Smith’s fine performance) continues on,” Johnson said, “because Lord knows, I need the rest.

“Right now, I’m just out of it.”

Johnson averaged 42 minutes on the last trip and played 44 at Minnesota, including the entire second half, scoring 32 of the Lakers’ 85 points.

Thursday, with the Lakers trailing by 13 and Johnson unable to resuscitate them or himself, he asked out.

“I said, ‘Hey, I got to come out,’ ” Johnson said. “I could just feel myself. . . . I mean, I’m trying but I just can’t.”

Thus, the Lakers embarked on the second-biggest surprise of the night.

That was Smith, a modestly talented but poised rookie who had played at crunch time once before--when Johnson was knocked cold in the Chicago game--playing before his home folks.

In the fourth quarter, Smith scored eight points with three rebounds and four assists. He didn’t miss a shot as the no-longer-comatose Lakers stormed back.

More to the point, Smith stayed in the game. Dunleavy said he wanted to play out the run and Johnson said that was as it should be.

When the Bucks fought them off and went ahead, 95-90, Dunleavy sent Magic back in, alongside Smith.

The Lakers kept closing. James Worthy’s free throws cut it to 95-94 with 1:34 left.

At the other end, Jeff Grayer drove to the hoop but missed the layup.

The Lakers rebounded and then, in the evening’s biggest surprise, or the month’s, Johnson lost the ball all by himself.

Said Johnson: “Everything was good. You like the whole situation. I had the ball. James was hot (14 points in the quarter). I figured, ‘OK let’s slow it down, get everybody in position, get everybody right.’

“Just when I went to pull the ball back, it scraped off my kneecap.”

It rolled to Ellis, who forwarded it to Schayes and it was 97-94.

The Lakers set up for a tying three-point basket. But the open shot came to Smith, who had attempted three three-point shots this season. He stepped up and took this one, missed decisively and is 0 for 4.

“He was wide open,” Dunleavy said. “He’s capable of making it. It’s a shot I can live with.”

No one can doubt Smith’s right and obligation to take that shot, but the Lakers died with it.

Some fairy tales, it goes like that.

Laker Notes

Magic Johnson, asked if he had been hoping the Lakers would acquire a veteran backup for him: “We won’t get into that. You know how I feel. . . . I think the 16 games (the Laker win streak) blew a smoke screen on everybody. But I’m not saying anything.” . . . Tony Smith, ever low-key, on his night: “It was a good individual performance for me, but it means nothing with the loss.” . . . Buck Coach Del Harris: “I have to give the Lakers credit for drafting Tony Smith. I thought he had a chance to make it, but I didn’t envision him doing this his rookie season any way, shape or form.” . . . Sam Perkins is struggling on his broken left little toe. Perkins says the pain is lessening but is till there. Mike Dunleavy says he may cut Perkins’ minutes. . . . Vlade Divac seemed uninspired. Dunleavy lifted him quickly in both halves. . . . Byron Scott is 11 for 34 in the past three games.