Lakers Beaten by Extra Efforts : Pro basketball: Jazz gets the offensive rebounds in the final minute of 98-94 victory. Scott back in lineup, Divac out.

First, Utah’s Karl Malone missed a 17-footer as the 24-second clock expired, but he managed to snare the rebound and set up another play.

Then Jazz guard John Stockton stumbled on a drive to the basket and missed, giving the Lakers another chance in a game they trailed by two points with less than a minute left.

“The opportunity was there,” Byron Scott said, “and that was the frustrating part. We had it twice and we couldn’t capitalize on it.”

They didn’t get a third chance. Stockton’s rebound was tipped by Larry Krystkowiak to Tyrone Corbin, who fed Jeff Malone for an off-balance jumper with 10 seconds left. Two free throws by Karl Malone and a dunk by Scott were the final flourishes, but the Lakers’ 98-94 loss to the Jazz before 19,911 at the Delta Center on Friday was determined by Utah’s performance off the offensive boards during that scramble.

“Those were the difference in the ballgame when you look at it,” Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan said. “It was one of those games where they still could have won, and those offensive rebounds were a big factor.”

That they could have won was of little comfort to the Lakers, who have lost five of their last six games.

“There’s nothing encouraging about losing, no matter how close it is,” said James Worthy, who scored 15 points in the opener of a six-game trip. “There are things we have to take better care of, like rebounds at crunch time. We lost some tough rebounds at the end that cost us an opportunity, at least. Just playing hard is not good enough.”

But it had to be good enough for Laker Coach Randy Pfund, who made several lineup changes and reaped mixed results.

Pfund benched Vlade Divac--the first time since last March 18 that Divac was available and did not start--reinstated Scott at shooting guard and moved Sam Perkins to center and A.C. Green back to power forward. In his first start since Jan. 2, Scott contributed 16 points, including the three-pointer with 1:58 to play that cut Utah’s lead to 92-90. Green, however, took no shots and was scoreless in 34 minutes.

Green had reached double figures in rebounds in each of his last four starts at guard, but up against bigger forwards Friday, he had eight rebounds and the Lakers were beaten at both ends of the court. Those late offensive rebounds by the Jazz gave Utah a 15-8 lead in that department and a 53-35 edge overall.

“You would think it should be pretty even,” Green said of his rebounding at guard and at forward. “Tonight, we weren’t as active off the boards offensively and defensively. It wasn’t just the front court.”

Said Pfund: “We’re playing a very good team and we had a chance to be in it, which is a staple on the road. I thought we were there. They had three or four shots on that last possession and if we could have gotten one of those, it might have been different. We play this well on this road trip and we’re going to put some ‘W’s’ together.”

Pfund said he would probably keep the same lineup Sunday against the Bullets, saying Scott developed a good feel for things the longer he played and that Divac produced a spark coming off the bench. Divac scored a season-low one point against Seattle on Wednesday in 13 minutes; he played 16 minutes Friday and had six points and three rebounds.

“I agree with the coach. We’ve got to find some way to win,” said Divac, who was assessed a technical foul for scrapping with Utah’s Jay Humphries with 1:08 left in the third quarter. “I agree with whatever is good for the team and whatever is going to get us a win.”

They couldn’t get one Friday, not even with Stockton scoreless until he made a three-pointer with 34 seconds to go in the first half and Karl Malone held to 10 in the first half. Malone finished with a game-high 27 and 18 rebounds.

“You give them three shots under the basket in the last minute and a half, and you know they’re going to get one of them,” Scott said. “We matched their effort. We gave 110%. Our problem tonight is we didn’t do the job rebounding.”

Laker Notes

A.C. Green’s scoreless game was his second this season. He was also blanked Dec. 1. . . . Tony Smith (sinus infection) remained at the team’s hotel Friday and did not play. . . . Laker announcer Chick Hearn had an unusual influence on the game: He pointed out to official Lee Jones that David Benoit and not Karl Malone should have gone to the free-throw line after a foul by Elden Campbell with 5:26 to go. “I probably was part of the problem,” Pfund said. “I was talking to Lee--he knows somebody I know back East and I was asking how he is.”