Hope Is All Lakers Have Left : Pro basketball: They lose to Kings and could be eliminated from playoff race tonight.

Even the Sacramento Kings have turned on them.

One of their oldest fans has turned on them.

What’s left for the Lakers?

New King owner Jim Thomas of Brentwood, a Laker fan since the Sports Arena days, who still owns six season tickets in the Forum, watched his team end its three-year, 17-game losing streak against the Lakers, 102-94, Thursday night, to drop them one tick from elimination from the playoffs for the first time since 1976.

Said Thomas: “It feels good.”

The Lakers have lost five of six games. Their next loss, or Houston’s next victory, will eliminate them. The Rockets can end the race tonight by winning at Dallas.

“Basically it comes down to miracles,” Laker Coach Mike Dunleavy said. “We have to depend on others to do our work for us.”

And if they don’t?

“Ultimately it may mean we’re not good enough,” Dunleavy said. “If we don’t win it, we’re not good enough. I’m not displeased with the effort we’re giving. We messed up in Denver. We let a lot of guys have career nights. That’s a game we should have won against a team we should beat. But other than that.

“Just because you put someone in Sam Perkins’ position and James Worthy’s position, doesn’t mean they play like Sam Perkins and James Worthy. But these guys came a lot closer than a lot of people thought they would.”

Terry Teagle, blooming late in the season, scored 27 points, leading a rally that wiped out the Kings’ 17-point lead. The Lakers went ahead in the fourth quarter, but the Kings counterattacked.

Lionel Simmons stole the ball from Tony Smith, starting a fast break that ended with Simmons’ layup, putting the Kings ahead to stay, 83-82, with 7:27 left.

In the next four trips, Mitch Richmond hit a three-point basket and two 20-footers. The Kings never looked back.

The Lakers were competitive early . . . for a few minutes, anyway.

A 13-4 run boosted the Kings into a 23-14 lead and after that, the Lakers went into pursuit mode. Teagle entered the game with 3:02 left in the first quarter and scored a fast eight points, hitting four of five shots.

Otherwise, the Lakers would have trailed by more than 31-22 after one quarter.

They drew to within 44-37 in the second quarter but then real trouble arrived.

Wayman Tisdale hit a 15-footer.

Anthony Bonner threw done a thundering dunk on a fast break on a lob from Spud Webb.

Dennis Hopson threw down another major dunk on a lob from Webb.

In all the Kings scored 10 consecutive points, moving into a 54-37 lead just before the half.

But the Lakers didn’t fold. Byron Scott got hot in the third quarter, making seven of his nine shots, scoring 15 points, and the Lakers surged back into the game.

They were within 75-71 after three quarters and grabbed the lead early in the fourth.

But the Kings had one more surge in them, too.

Someone asked Dunleavy later what he thought the Laker chances of making the playoffs were.

“Five percent,” he said.

Ever the optimist.

Laker Notes

A.C. Green took 17 rebounds, tying his season high. Elden Campbell and Vlade Divac combined for another nine and the Lakers were outrebounded again, 45-39. . . . The Kings have won four in a row, for the first time in five seasons. They are 9-5 since Jim Thomas assumed ownership. . . . Thomas said he is a friend of Jerry West, has asked him for advice, was introduced to the former King owners by West--but has never tried to hire him, as had been rumored. . . . Thomas is waiting for permission to talk to Magic Johnson. “We’ve not been given an answer directly,” Thomas said. “We haven’t talked to Magic yet but we intend to. We’ve had scheduling problems. . . . We’re trying to build a winning organization and he’s a winner. . . . But he has to decide whether he wants to play.”. . . Thomas on rumors that he will move the franchise to Anaheim, where a new arena will open next year: “We always intended to stay here. We’ve never thought about moving. We love Sacramento.”