Lakers Find Strength in Numbers : Pro basketball: They hold off depleted Sun squad, 93-85, to virtually clinch at least second place in the Pacific Division.

You remember that Laker loss to Portland that Mike Dunleavy called “ a big-time letdown?” and broadcaster Chick Hearn called “the hardest loss I ever endured?”

The Lakers had a medium-sized letdown Sunday night against a nine-man Phoenix team, rousing themselves in the nick of time.

The Suns’ magnificent nine, missing Kevin Johnson, Tom Chambers and Dan Majerle, had a nine-point lead in the second period and were tied late in the third before Magic Johnson awoke the home team, scoring 31 points as the Lakers escaped, 93-85, before 17,505 at the Forum.

The Lakers might have been flat, but they weren’t surprised.

“You just know it,” said Johnson, “You almost hate to see it (the Suns’ injuries) happen because now you don’t know what’s going to happen.

“They can come out on fire and you can get caught good if you don’t respect them. I saw that happen today, Philly-Chicago (the 76ers’ upset of the Bulls).”

A Sun rookie point guard, Negele Knight, scored a career-high 25 points. The Suns were within 80-77 with 6:20 to play before Byron Scott made a 16-footer and a fast-break layup.

The Lakers thereby all but officially ended the race for second place in the Pacific. They lead the Suns by 4 1/2 games with six left. They win the season series, 3-2, so they will prevail in case of a tie with the Suns.

The Suns came into the night with a two-game losing streak, three of their top players home, facing a team with a four-game winning streak.

“Hard for a coach to mess ‘em up,” Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons said before the game. “I don’t have many choices.

“Going to try to pull one off. These are the challenges of the NBA.

“Nobody said life was going to be fair.”

But while missing two-thirds of their shots in the first period and getting out-rebounded, 13-9, the Lakers saw the Suns run off a 11-0 spurt to close the quarter.

Xavier McDaniel scored six of those points, all on medium-range jumpers. When he made a 17-footer to open the second quarter, the Suns led, 27-18.

The Lakers got to spend the rest of the half playing catch-up, but they did catch up. Magic Johnson scored eight points in the last 2:30 on a driving layup on which he was fouled and made the free throw, a three-pointer, then a five-footer with four seconds left that sent the Lakers in at halftime with a 48-46 lead.

Third period, same story.

The Suns matched the Lakers, shot for shot, until Johnson took over again. There was a fancy left-handed layup that he spun in while taking a hit and expecting the whistle that would send him to the free-throw line, but which never came. On the next Laker possession, he made a three-pointer for a 71-66 lead.