Lakers Get Down to Business

The Lakers, who lost their first two home games for the first time in 11 years, promised to play with more intensity at the Forum.

“We have to just come with a different attitude when we play at home,” guard Byron Scott said before Sunday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors.

“When we play on the road we’ve been pretty focused, but when we play at home we’ve been too at ease and too relaxed. We have to change that attitude.

“I think everybody in this league tends to relax at home. You’ve got your business, families and friends that you start getting involved in. But losing the last two hasn’t been fun. We’ve got to change that.”

And the Lakers made good on their promise, beating the Warriors, 105-102, Sunday night before 13,941 at the Forum. The Lakers, who defeated the Warriors for the second time in six games this season, avoided losing their first three home games for the first time since moving to Los Angeles before the 1960-61 season.

Scott, who had 18 points, suffered a sprained right foot during the fourth quarter and was taken to Centinela Hospital Medical Center for X-rays.

Guard Sedale Threatt had 24 points and forward Sam Perkins added 19 as the Lakers ended a two-game losing streak.

Perkins, who was shooting only 42.9% in the Lakers’ first five games, broke out of his shooting slump by making five of first six shots and adding a free throw for 11 points in the first eight minutes of the game as the Lakers opened a 14-point lead.

“I thought getting Sam Perkins into the game early was a real key,” Laker Coach Randy Pfund said. “I’ve expressed concern the last couple of days with the scoring of both of our forwards. A lot of people have talked about James Worthy’s scoring not being what it’s been, but we were as concerned as much with Sam, and I think Sam responded to the challenge very well tonight. He got us going early tonight.”

Perkins said he wasn’t concerned about his shooting.

“I’ve been through this before, but I never really made myself worry about it,” Perkins said.

“You just play through it and things will happen. When I shot well, I pay no mind to it, either.

“In order to do something, we had to take it at them at the start of the game. We’ve been sluggish in the opening of our last few games, and it helps when we get out fast.”

Worthy, who had failed to score in double figures in his last two games, scored 13 points, making six of 17 shots.

Warrior forward Billy Owens had 24 points and nine rebounds and guard Tim Hardaway added 21 points, including 19 during the second half as Golden State lost for the first time in three road games this season.

The Lakers, who blew a 14-point fourth quarter lead before beating the Warriors last week at Oakland, wasted a 12-point fourth-quarter lead Sunday.

With the Warriors trailing by 103-93, Owens made two consecutive shots and Hardaway made a three-pointer and scored on a drive as Golden State outscored the Lakers by 9-1 to cut their deficit to 104-102 with 5.6 seconds left.

After Worthy made a free throw to give the Lakers a three-point lead with 4.5 seconds remaining, the Warriors missed a chance to send the game into overtime when Owens missed a desperation three-pointer at the buzzer.

Leading by 77-75, the Lakers outscored the Warriors, 12-2, in the first 4:27 of the fourth quarter to open an 89-77 lead. But Hardaway, who had 12 of his 21 points during the fourth quarter, brought Golden State back, making a jumper and a three-point shot before the Lakers put the game away.

Laker Notes

Rookie guard Anthony Peeler sat out the game because of a strained hip. “I can hardly run on it right now,” Peeler said. “I don’t know if it’s going to be a long time or a short time.” Peeler said he was injured while trying to front forward Kiki Vandeweghe Friday during the Lakers’ 26-point loss to the Clippers, but he didn’t think it was serious and stayed in the game. “I heard a pop in my leg, but I didn’t think it was serious at all,” Peeler said. “I’ve never been hurt before playing basketball. That’s why I didn’t come out of the game Friday in the fourth quarter because I didn’t think it was anything bad. But right after the game, it was bothering me.” Laker trainer Gary Vitti said that he expects Peeler to return for Friday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls.

The Lakers have a four-day break before their next game, Friday night against the Bulls. It’s the longest they will be off this season, excluding the All-Star break. “It’s not like it’s going to mess up our rhythm,” Laker forward Sam Perkins said. “We don’t have one yet.”