Lakers Take Orlando to School

Lesson for the night:

Young Guns must beware of Old Dudes, even if their elders are on a losing streak.

The Lakers, those aging tricksters, did it again, coming from eight points behind in the fourth quarter to surprise the up-and-coming Orlando Magic, 96-93, Wednesday night, ending their three-game losing streak.

In their first meeting with the center of the 1990s, they used every double-team Randy Pfund could imagine or borrow, held Shaquille O’Neal to 23 points and 23 rebounds and considered themselves fortunate.

“I’m not even impressed,” Byron Scott said, laughing. “I saw him play this summer so I knew what he could do. I watched him get 20-something points and 20-something rebounds and I’m not impressed.

“I know he’s going to be the next great player in the league. He’s going to be the next Michael Jordan. He has personality, he has charisma, he has flash in his game.”

Said Vlade Divac, tapping the dressing room wall: “This wall and he are the same thing. If I push this wall, same thing as pushing on Shaquille. I push him. He doesn’t move.”

The Magic and Lakers started the night as mirror opposites, a young team with five wins in six games against a bunch of veterans who had lost five of six.

The Laker guns, Sedale Threatt and Sam Perkins, had cooled recently.

The Magic cannon, O’Neal, made Pfund lose sleep.

“To be honest with you, I spent my birthday (Tuesday) in my suite looking at videotape, more videotape and the more I watched, the less idea I had how to cover him,” Pfund said. “I made phone calls to coaches I knew, I watched more videotape, I changed the game plan twice. . . . “

What did he wind up with?

“Kind of a mishmash,” Pfund said.

Said Divac before his first meeting with the monster-child: “If I not be aggressive, I guess he’s going to kill me.”

The Lakers double-teamed immediately, usually dropping the closest guard into the pivot to help Divac, James Edwards or Perkins. O’Neal dutifully passed the ball out and took only three shots in the first half.

The Lakers, socking it inside too, slowed the game down to waltz tempo, fell behind, 85-77, in the fourth quarter but caught up again with an 8-0 run: Perkins’ three-point play; Anthony Peeler’s fast-break layup on a lob from Sedale Threatt; Threatt’s technical foul shot; Perkins’ jump hook over O’Neal.

O’Neal rebounded Scott Skiles’ miss and dunked thunderously for an 87-85 lead.

Divac curled in a five-foot hook over O’Neal.

Moments later, A.C. Green sank a 20-footer to beat the 24-second clock and the Lakers had the lead for good.

They were ahead, 93-88, but Nick Anderson made a three-pointer with 48 seconds left. Perkins was called for charging and at the other end, the Magic threw it into O’Neal, looking for the tie. Shaq ducked under Divac, wheeled baseline and laid the ball in with 11 seconds left . . . but was called for traveling.

“Rookie call,” O’Neal murmured, grinning. “Lots of rookie calls tonight.”

Thanks, his elders needed them.

Laker Notes

Randy Pfund put Byron Scott back in the starting lineup, juggling his rotation with Tony Smith dropping out. “I think the scenario that’s developing with this team, with our depth, it’s not going to be the same rotation every night,” Pfund said. “We’ve got some veterans we go to and some young players that play with a lot of energy. When we lose, it’s frustrating because you wonder if you made a mistake.” . . . Anthony Peeler scored all eight of his points in the fourth quarter, making all four of his shots.

Shaquille O’Neal’s 23 rebounds were a Magic record but he failed to block a shot for the first time in 24 games. . . . Vlade Divac scored in double figures for the first time in seven games. “I don’t have a feeling I can shoot,” he said. “I am thinking too much and losing my confidence but I hope this game can bring me back.”