Lakers Rule Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood : Pro basketball: Johnson’s triple-double leads L.A. in 122-115 victory at San Antonio.

For the Lakers, this was either an optical illusion or a good sign.

On the road again, a good, rested, motivated, young Spurs team hit them with everything it had Tuesday night. The Lakers just steamed through the heat and the noise, survived a furious fourth-quarter shootout and triumphed, 122-115, proving they can still break tender hearts.

For the Lakers, there were all sort of good developments--a continued revival of the backup guards, crack offensive execution--and few problems, give or take one gaping hole in the middle of their defense through which David Robinson sailed.

But this was really a duel between those two great merchandisers, the squire of Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood vs. $7 million worth of annual endorsement income in the person of Earvin Johnson.

Robinson was brilliant: 36 points, a career-high 23 rebounds, five assists, three steals, three blocks.

Johnson was brilliant: 30 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and the victory.

Of the Lakers’ last 23 points, he scored 18 and assisted on four.

In the last 6:07, during which the score was tied at 101, 103, 105, 107, 109, 111 and 113, the Lakers had the ball 12 times and scored on 11 of them.

Said Spur Coach Larry Brown: “Magic was phenomenal. He just did pretty much what he wanted tonight.”

And Mike Dunleavy: “He’s the best in the business, and he’s going to go down that way. He’s getting ready to break Oscar Robertson’s assist record (Johnson needs 66; at his present pace he will get them in six games) because he uses the floor so well. That’s the way it’s going to be.”

For a basketball fan, it doesn’t get much better than this. The game was fast-paced and even. The crowd was pumped as high as the Spurs’ front office could get it.

Providentially, after their last home game, a local doctor called the city’s Noise Ordinance Department, warning that the din at games was potentially damaging to fans’ ears.

In sympathy, the Spurs announced they would provide souvenir ear plugs at Hemisfair booths--at a nominal fee--and made a comedy video shown on the scoreboard at halftime in which a fake scientist demonstrated placing one’s fingers in one’s ears.

Thus the night proceeded at the usual decibel level.

First on the agenda was Robinson’s shedding Vlade Divac, who hit the bench with his second foul 7:21 into the contest. After which Robinson trained his guns on Mychal Thompson, Sam Perkins, Elden Campbell and whomever else Dunleavy could send.

How great was Robinson?

How about a 7-footer who takes a 20-footer, misses and runs in to beat everybody to the rebound . . . twice?

“He’s basically unstoppable because of his quickness,” Thompson said, recovering nicely from whiplash suffered trying to follow Robinson. “And being in the Navy, he has those territorial waters. You can’t get near him or the referee will fire an anti-Robinson missile.”

Said Magic Johnson: “He’s so cat-quick, he’s unbelievable. I had a layup--next thing, I look up, they’re going the other way.”

The Spurs had their last lead, 114-113, with 1:42 left. But Johnson tossed in a seven-foot hook, rebounded Willie Anderson’s missed 17-footer, then scored an easy layup on the play of the night on a pass from Byron Scott with James Worthy back-picking David Wingate off him.

“What I’m trying to do is get my game going,” Johnson said. “I’ve done that. I’ve picked up my numbers.”

That wasn’t all he picked up Tuesday.

Laker Notes

Terry Teagle, who bombed the Kings for 35 points Sunday, had another good game, scoring 12 points in 17 minutes. . . . Teagle and Tony Smith entered the game in the second quarter with the Lakers behind, 33-30, and led a rally that produced a 46-41 lead before Magic Johnson returned five minutes later. It was one of the second unit’s top efforts of the season. . . . Loath to trust his new good fortune too far, Coach Mike Dunleavy let Johnson play the entire second half.