Lakers Lose Worthy for Season, Get Win

This looked like a job for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Just when it looked as if the Lakers might never win at home again, or field five players, they happened on the NBA’s worst team, the Timberwolves (11-54) and dispatched them, 131-121, Friday night at the Forum without James Worthy, Sam Perkins and Chucky Brown.

Worthy underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Friday and will be sidelined for the season.

“They really didn’t find much,” trainer Gary Vitti said. “Just a little bit of debris. Pretty much the knee was normal, for a guy who’s been in the league 10 years.”

Perkins and Brown have relatively minor injuries and are listed as day-to-day.

So are the Lakers.

They had lost seven of their last nine at the Forum, falling half a game behind the Clippers. But Friday’s explosion gave them a season high in points and shooting percentage (64.2%).

“Obviously,” said Coach Mike Dunleavy, joking through his troubles, “Sam Perkins has been holding our offense back.”

Terry Teagle came off the bench to score 26 points and Vlade Divac, making his first start since back surgery, had 24, two more season highs.

“We can’t listen to anybody,” Dunleavy said. “All the people saying, ‘Oh, you guys are out of it now, you don’t have the horses, you can’t make the playoffs.’

“We can’t listen to that. We’ve got to block all that out.”

The Lakers were happy for any glimmer of good news, having started 0-1 on this home stand they had approached so hopefully.

“It’s been a crazy season,” Byron Scott said last week. “You start saying, ‘Who’s next?’

“Earvin (Johnson) retired, Vlade (Divac) had back surgery, James has been out, Sam has missed some games. I almost find myself knocking on wood. Hopefully I won’t be next and I can play all 82 and we can get James back and make a run at this thing.”

Now he knows who was next, anyway:

Worthy was cleared to rejoin the team, practiced once, saw his knee swell again and underwent arthroscopic surgery.

Perkins hurt his left shoulder Wednesday and sat out.

Brown sprained an ankle Wednesday and sat out.

At least they picked the right night.

Setting the tone right from the opening tap, the Timberwolves conceded the Lakers any shot they wanted.

Gratefully, the Lakers made 79% of them, including the last, Sedale Threatt’s 69-footer, a two-handed heave he banked in as the quarter was running out. The Lakers finished it with a 44-32 lead, their highest-scoring quarter of the season.

The Lakers led, 68-59, at halftime, but the Timberwolves rallied, cutting it to 92-90 late in the third quarter.

Byron Scott then launched a three-point shot that hit the rim, bounced up and went in.

That started a 9-0 run and the Lakers were home free, at last.

“It didn’t matter who was out,” Dunleavy said. “It was a game we had to have. We have to get through this. We have to stay tough.”

Laker Notes

The Lakers signed 6-9 Cliff Robinson, 32, the former USC center who has been out of the NBA since 1989, to a 10-day contract to replace James Worthy. Robinson suffered a career-threatening injury in an auto accident in 1989 but returned to played this season in Naples, Italy, and Rapid City, Iowa, for the CBA Thrillers. “I’m the comeback kid,” he said, laughing. “I had to go all ‘round the world to come back home.”. . . Robinson arrived in time for Friday’s shoot-around, giving him little idea of the Laker playbook. “Sometimes you’ve got to wing it a little bit,” he said before the game. “I’ve been around long enough to know how. Set a lot of picks and wave your arms a lot.”. . . The first time he touched the ball as a Laker, Robinson took a turnaround 17-footer and hit it. . . . Mike Dunleavy on Robinson’s conditioning: “I think he’s in decent shape. He’s a little round.”. . . Byron Scott’s 11 assists were his career high. . . . Terry Teagle: “It’s discouraging to lose a lot of guys, especially when they’re key guys. You’ve got to find a new way to do things. Guys are playing unfamiliar positions. It’s like starting over.”. . . The Lakers are off for the next four days before playing the Dallas Mavericks Thursday night at the Forum.