Heat Makes Lakers Sweat for 102-95 Win

Welcome to L.A.

After 20 of 23 days on the road, Magic Johnson rode to the rescue again Tuesday night as the Lakers escaped the Miami Heat, 102-95, cutting Portland’s lead to two games, or 1 1/2 games closer than the Lakers were at the start of this odyssey.

A weary Johnson staggered to the bench with 7:23 remaining, the Lakers ahead by 15 and his 10th triple-double already in the book.

Two minutes 14 seconds later with the lead down to 88-78, he staggered back in for rookie Tony Smith to see that the day was saved again.

He finished with 21 points (shooting four for 12), 14 assists and 11 rebounds . . . and 42 minutes.

“I’m going, ‘Oh oh, maybe I can sit here for a while,’ ” Johnson said. “But then they made a giant run. Sometimes that happens. Unfortunately, it’s happened a couple times.

“I don’t want to keep on this pace. Tony, he’s got to develop or we’ve got to go back to Larry (Drew), one or the other. Tony’s either going to come through or try Larry again. We’re going to need somebody to run the team while I’m out.”

Smith was in and out before his big fourth quarter at Milwaukee and has been in and out since.

However, Coach Mike Dunleavy hadn’t yet said anything about Drew. . . .

“At this point in time, I’m going to see a little bit more of Tony,” Dunleavy said. “He’s been inconsistent at times but when he’s good, he can be real good.

“Obviously, it’s getting down to crunch time, and we’ve got to be better. But the other side, a lot of times when Tony’s out there, the guys around him haven’t been coming through.”

Drew used to have that problem, too, as will any other mortal who tries to assume Johnson’s burden.

The Lakers were 6-0 against the Heat, having won by an average of 33 points, so this hard-fought victory can’t go down as one of their best performances of the season.

The Lakers, running (briefly) as in days of old in the first quarter, taking a 14-point lead. The Heat rallied this time, even taking a 57-56 lead in the third quarter.

The Lakers put them back in their place--they thought--with a lineup that had James Worthy at guard, forcing 6-foot Sherman Douglas to guard the 6-9 Johnson.

“Our lineup looked like a Pop Warner lineup compared to the Laker lineup,” Heat Coach Ron Rothstein said.

So the Lakers took their lead, Johnson left and the lead shrank.

Johnson returned . . . and it shrank some more.

The Lakers went six more possessions without scoring, and the Heat was within 88-84.

It had two chances to cut it even further, but rookie Willie Burton, who had 18 points, missed a 12-footer on the baseline and Grant Long missed a 17-footer he probably shouldn’t have taken.

Leave the 17-footers to the shooters: Byron Scott, who makes a living on those, got one at the other end and hit it. On the next two Laker trips, Scott made two 20-footers and the Heat wilted.

Scott, slumping through the trip, was four for 10 at the half, made six of his final nine shots and finished with 21 points. More to the point, he finished the game.

“It’s just nice to play in the fourth quarter,” Scott said.

In several recent games, Smith finished games alongside Johnson. Scott says he understands. Really.

“I just haven’t been used to it,” he said. “We have a new system, new coaches, so I accept it. It’s no biggie.”

The Lakers started this trip 0-2 but finished it 3-2, however difficult their struggles with the Washington Bullets, Orlando Magic and Heat. They’re not coming home a red-hot team, but they’re looking at the bright side.

They’re coming home.

Laker Notes

James Worthy’s last three games: seven for 21, eight for 24, five for 17, a combined 20 for 62. Worthy is a career 55% shooter. . . . Byron Scott on his slump (11 for 32 in the first three games of the trip): “I didn’t look at it as a slump. I felt it was fatigue. I didn’t worry about it. I didn’t go out and do extra shooting. I knew it would come back. I rely on my legs a lot. When I can’t get that lift, I’m dead.” . . . Sherman Douglas, averaging 24 points in the last seven games, had a bad shooting game (seven for 17). Glen Rice, averaging 21 in the last 10, didn’t play because of a sore knee. Rony Seikaly, coming off back-to-back 20 rebound games, had 19. . . . The Lakers are off until Friday when they play host to Denver. They play seven of their next nine at home.