Bucks Run Lakers Off Forum Floor, 119-98 : Pro basketball: Moses Malone scores 21 points as Milwaukee prevails in exhibition tournament.

Already crowned champions of Europe, the Lakers tried to add the title of the Forum pro exhibition to their list of accomplishments but couldn’t.

The Lakers hit the wall or the Milwaukee Bucks hit them, or both. The Lakers fell with a thud, 119-98, Wednesday night, their first loss in the three years of this event.

The Lakers are 4-2 this preseason.

The Celtics beat the San Antonio Spurs, 115-112, in the first game to take third place. Boston trailed by 19 points in the first half, presenting the crowd with the prospect of an entertainment bonus--an 0-2 Celtic sweep here--but Larry Bird led a second-half rally that turned the game around.

Milwaukee’s Moses Malone, 36, scored 21 points, giving him 39 in two games here, making him the tournament’s unofficial most valuable player.

The Bucks broke the game open with an 11-2 run in the second period. They led 55-47 at the half, 85-65 at the end of the third quarter and by 26 points early in the fourth.

The Lakers, playing their fourth game in six nights on two continents, seemed to run out of jet fuel. They still have to endure this weekend’s swing through Salt Lake City and Vancouver. Then they’ll get five days off before opening the season at Houston.

“I was really satisfied last night,” Mike Dunleavy said. “I wasn’t so satisfied tonight.”

For the third game in a row, Dunleavy didn’t play Terry Teagle. All the other 15 Lakers got in, however. Dunleavy plans to make a cut today, so at least two of them were making their Laker farewell.

The Celtic rally kept them from falling to 2-5 in the exhibition season, but Coach Chris Ford contained his delight.

“Still not good basketball,” he said. “You can’t get all excited because we won a game.”

Ford is without three starters: Kevin McHale, Brian Shaw and Kevin Gamble.

Ford’s predicament could be worse. Bird was supposed to be out until January after summer back surgery but has been a big surprise. He scored 49 points in the two exhibitions here and Magic Johnson said Bird was moving better than he has in years.

“I know I’m moving better,” Bird said. “Last year was the toughest year of my life. I never had pain like that, from day one until the day the season was over.”