Lakers Move Closer to Lottery With Loss : Pro basketball: Seattle scores 96-91 victory at Forum. Rockets only 1 1/2 games behind and Perkins probably won’t be back.

OK Laker fans, what do you want to read first, the bad news or the worse news?

The bad news?

They turned the ball over a season-high 25 times Friday night and fell, 96-91, to the Seattle SuperSonics, dropping their lead over the Houston Rockets for the final playoff spot to 1 1/2 games and their post-Sam Perkins record to 5-2.

The worse news?

They are going to have to finish the season without Perkins.

Coach Mike Dunleavy said before the game it was unlikely Perkins would return in the regular season.

Three hours later, after his remaining Lakers wallowed into the teeth of the pressing SuperSonics and came out without the ball 25 times, Dunleavy went off as he never had before.

“We played dumb and we played careless,” Dunleavy said, his voice rising in anger, “and that’s not a good combination.

“We’re at home against a team that’s not that far ahead of us in the standings and to turn the ball over the way we turned it over tonight--it’s unconscionable.

“Our team, we have to come out and play hard every night just to compete. If we don’t come out ready to play, we’re not going to win.

“I don’t know if we believed our press clippings or what, winning five games in a row, like we’re back. We’re not back! We’ve got to fight and claw to win every game.

“Our last game (Wednesday’s loss at San Antonio) was semi-excusable. We’d played the night before, we’d played guys big minutes, but there’s no excuse for this game.”

The SuperSonics started the night with a 22-12 record under George Karl but a five-year losing streak in the Forum.

Only Nate McMillan of their 12 players had ever won a game in the Forum in a Seattle uniform.

Michael Cage, 30, who had split his career between the Clippers and SuperSonics, was in his eighth season without ever having won here.

Things began to change quickly after the opening tap.

McMillan stole the ball on the first two Laker possessions.

The Lakers, No. 1 in the league with 12.5 turnovers a game, turned it over four times in their first five possessions and 15 times by halftime.

The Lakers clawed and scrapped, too, and the teams battled on even terms through the first quarter. Seattle depth began telling in the second as off Karl’s bench sprang Eddie Johnson, Dana Barros and Shawn Kemp.

Kemp scored 11 points and took six rebounds in 17 minutes. He threw down an assortment of dunks, including a windmill number on a fast break that practically shook the Forum’s columns.

The Laker bench these days is Terry Teagle. The star of their five-game winning streak with a 21-point average, he missed his first shot, a 15-footer on the baseline, always bad news for the Lakers. Michael Cage blocked Teagle’s second shot. By halftime, Teagle was 0 for 3 with a turnover and the SuperSonics were ahead, 53-48. Teagle would finish one for five with two points in 24 minutes.

The SuperSonics went ahead by as many as eight points in the second half and the Lakers kept sawing into them.

When Tony Smith rebounded his own miss and hit a 12-footer without coming down, the Lakers trailed, 92-91, with 2:00 left.

The SuperSonics posted up Eddie Johnson, who hit a fadeaway 16-footer on the baseline.

After that, Threatt missed a three-pointer, the SuperSonics threw the ball away and Smith tried a desperate drive against Kemp, hoping to make the layup and draw a foul. Kemp blocked the shot, instead.

Afterward, Dunleavy blistered the locker room walls.

“Yes he did,” Smith said. “It was well deserved.”

Laker Notes

Mike Dunleavy on Sam Perkins: “As far as I know, Sam’s out for the regular season, and maybe after evaluation for the playoffs. They can’t take a chance on having it (Perkins’ left shoulder) pop out again. If it does, you’re talking about surgery and a rotator cuff is major surgery. The only course is the conservative one.” . . . Sedale Threatt scored 28 points to lead the Lakers. Tony Smith’s 18 points were his career high. . . . Eddie Johnson had 24 points off the bench. . . . The SuperSonics hadn’t won in the Forum since April 19, 1987. They had lost 12 regular-season games and four in the playoffs. . . . New Seattle Coach George Karl is 2-0 against the Lakers with one game left next week in Seattle. The SuperSonics also won Thursday night at Sacramento. “All I know,” said Karl, “is I’m taking tomorrow off.”