Lakers Still Unbeaten in Absence of Perkins : Pro basketball: Divac scores personal-best 32 points to fuel 117-88 victory over the 76ers.

Their eyes on a prize, the Lakers encountered a 76er team with its eyes on the lottery and an improbable winning streak reached four games.

Lately, it is another hero a night. Sunday, Vlade Divac scored a personal-best 32 points without playing during the fourth quarter of the 117-88 victory over the 76ers.

The Lakers are 4-0 since losing Sam Perkins to injury and lead Houston by two games for the last playoff spot in the West.

The 76ers fell to 0-3 on their trip, three games out of the last playoff spot in the East. Coach Jimmy Lynam called their first two losses dogfights, but Sunday the fight went out of the dogs.

“You don’t have to account for the effort,” 76er forward Charles Barkley said.

“There wasn’t any of it there.

“Quick and painless. Embarrassing. Frustrating.”

That’s his story. The Lakers led by as many as 40 points, outrebounded the 76ers, 55-33, and rolled up their biggest victory of the season.

Divac made 11 of his 16 shots and scored his 32 points in 32 minutes.

This coincided with the start of a campaign by a friend of his to organize a fan club.

Said Divac: “Good timing, huh?”

Said Lynam before the game: “We had a dogfight in Phoenix, a dogfight in Utah and lost them both. We’re playing about as hard as I think we can.”

So much for trends.

The 76ers traded half a dozen baskets with the home team and then sank beneath the horizon.

Trailing by 12-10, the Lakers went on a 17-1 run, Divac scoring on a layup, a rebound, another layup and another to set the tone for the evening.

The 76ers scored only 15 points during the first quarter, then made a little run with reserves Ron Anderson and Greg Grant in the game and Tony Smith relieving Sedale Threatt.

With the lead down to 35-26, Threatt returned and the Lakers took off again. Threatt made a short jumper, a layup on which he was fouled and made the free throw, then another layup and the Lakers went on a 19-7 run before intermission.

The half ended, appropriately, with the 76ers throwing the ball away. A.C. Green rifled a baseball pass three-quarters the length of the floor to Divac, who dunked with three-tenths of a second left and the Lakers were ahead, 58-39.

The fans passed the time during the second half by yelling “Shoot!” at the 76ers’ 7-foot-7 Manute Bol, who responded by making a driving layup, sort of. The crowd cheered.

“It was a great effort by our guys,” Laker Coach Mike Dunleavy said. “Our margin on the boards was huge. Defensively, I thought we were very aggressive.”

Especially by comparison. The Lakers would like to have the 76ers stick around, but they have to be grateful for anything they get.

Laker Notes

The Lakers signed Cliff Robinson, 32, to a second 10-day contract. “It just feels good to play in California and in the league,” he said. “I still have a lot of basketball left in this body.” . . . The 76er starters scored a total of 49 points. Charles Barkley was held to 17 points and seven rebounds.

Asked how he is doing personally, 76er Coach Jim Lynam said: “To be honest with you, it’s beside the point.” . . . A.C. Green took 11 rebounds and has 74 in the last seven games. . . . Jack Haley, watching the tape of the previous Laker-76er meeting before the game: “This must be an old game. I’m playing in it.”

Vlade Divac has double-figure games in points and rebounds in his last three. Said Divac: “I play great tonight but I cannot say I’m 100%. It’s very difficult for me to play back-to-backs. We’ll see in Texas how I do.”

The Lakers are off today, then play in Houston on Tuesday night and in San Antonio on Wednesday night. They Lakers have lost two of three to the Rockets. Should Houston win that game--and the season series--it would prevail if the teams tied in the standings.