Miller Throws Weight Around : Pro basketball: Giant-sized rookie scores 16 points to help Suns beat Lakers, 103-93.

The Lakers saw the America West Arena for the first time and another phenomenon, only slightly smaller.

It was Oliver Miller, the Suns’ 6-foot-8, 310-pounds-at-least rookie who dribbled behind his back, ran the floor and led the fast break, scoring 16 points in 24 minutes of Friday night’s 103-93 victory over the Lakers.

It was an eye-popping exhibition by a hippo with a ballerina’s grace.

Not that it won him any outward show of respect from his peers.

“Somebody must have missed him at Thanksgiving,” Sam Perkins said, laughing. “They didn’t shoot him.”

Nor even from his teammates.

Someone asked Charles Barkley what he thought the first time he saw Oliver Miller.

“He needs to lose weight,” Barkley said.

But surely Miller had surprised him?

“He needs to lose weight,” Barkley said.

But can’t Miller do extraordinary things for a huge man?

“He’s got to lose weight!” Barkley said. “If y’all are going to write how . . . good he is, he’s never going to lose weight. The only thing for you to write is he has to lose weight.”

Miller, dressing next to Barkley--”I’d rather be somewhere else. I’d have more freedom”--bore it as he always has.

“Chuck has his way of saying things,” Miller said. “I’ve been hearing it all my life. I take it as a joke. If these guys didn’t care about me, they wouldn’t aggravate me about it. It motivates me to do the things I have to do.”

For the Lakers, it was a night of trying to push the boulder uphill, only to see it keep rolling back.

Arriving early Friday morning after Thursday’s victory in Houston, they were behind most of the night, by as many as 10 points with 6:34 to play.

However, they mounted a late rally, cutting it to 90-89 when Perkins tipped in Sedale Threatt’s lob with 3:18 to play.

A moment later, trailing 91-89, they had a chance to tie. Threatt got free for his pet step-back 17-footer in front, but this one rattled out.

At the other end, Barkley made one of two free throws. The Lakers came up empty on their next four possessions--a turnover on a fumbled exchange between Perkins and Tony Smith; James Worthy’s missed 10-footer; a pass by Perkins that was stolen; Anthony Peeler’s missed three-pointer--by which time they were behind, 98-89.

“I think it was a very good effort on back-to-back nights,” Laker Coach Randy Pfund said.

“We were right in position, as they say, to steal one on the road before a couple of miscues and a missed shot. What you want to do on the road is give yourself a chance to win and we did that.”

Laker Notes

James Worthy’s struggles continued. He missed nine of his 12 shots and scored six points, making his average on the three-game trip 5.3 points and 21.6% shooting. . . . Byron Scott, who had hoped to return to action on this trip, missed his eighth game because of his strained right foot. The Lakers have listed him as day to day since he was hurt 19 days ago, but the foot isn’t responding to treatment. Scott will be checked by Dr. Steve Lombardo this weekend. “A few days ago, we were talking about the possibility of placing him on the injured list (meaning a five-game absence), but (trainer) Gary Vitti indicated he didn’t think it would be that long,” Coach Randy Pfund said. “If I was dissatisfied with our roster, I’d be more concerned. This way our young players get experience and that’s good.” . . . Charles Barkley said he almost became a Laker last season. “A couple days before the trade deadline, my agent called me and said not to go to the game, something might happen,” he says. “Then he called back and said it was off. I would have loved to play for the Lakers. I think every kid grows up as a Laker fan.”