Perkins and Lakers Hold Off Mavericks : Pro basketball: He sends game into overtime, then scores three points to key 108-100 victory.

It probably shouldn’t have taken so much sweat and nail-biting for the Lakers to wrest a 108-100 overtime victory from the Dallas Mavericks on Monday. Then again, the Lakers are not an easy team to figure.

They are 5-0 against Chicago and Portland, two of the NBA’s elite, but were one of only four teams to have lost to the Mavericks this season before the teams met again Monday night at the Forum. The Mavericks almost made them their first two-time victim, but Sam Perkins scored 14 points, grabbed a season-high 17 rebounds and made two free throws that sent the game into overtime. He then made a layup and a free throw that put the Lakers ahead for good.

“We don’t know what to expect anymore,” said Perkins, who rebounded a Derek Harper shot with 3.5 seconds left in regulation to give the Lakers a last--but unsuccessful--chance.

“On paper, we should have won it easy, but that’s not how it worked out. Poor shooting is always an indication that a game is going to be a dogfight.”

Abetted by poor first-half shooting by the Lakers (34.9% from the field and 50% from the free-throw line), the Mavericks (4-40) fought to keep their road losing streak from reaching 20. The Lakers, now 4-0 in overtime games, prevailed on the strength of Perkins’ clutch rebounding and Byron Scott’s game-high 26 points.

“All along, I’ve said they have talent. They’re just a young team, and our veterans took over in the third quarter,” said Laker rookie Duane Cooper, who whose overtime three-pointer matched a three-pointer by Harper to open the scoring.

“I don’t think it was a matter of us not wanting to be the first team to lose twice to them--it was a matter of taking pride in our profession.”

Said James Worthy, who had 20 points for the Lakers: “I’d like to think it was the veterans coming through that helped us win this. We’ve been in this situation many times. It’s not even what we do, it’s mostly the positive encouragement we give each other.”

The Mavericks have been in the situation of leading after the first half only six times this season, including the 53-43 lead they had Monday. They have won four of those games.

“We had them. We came out and played them tough,” the Mavericks’ Sean Rooks said. “Having them and coming out with a win is two different stories.”

They had the Lakers worried, anyway.

The Lakers chipped away at the Mavericks’ lead during the third quarter, tying the score at 68-68 on Perkins’ layup and going ahead on two free throws by Worthy. But the Mavericks came back during the fourth quarter, pulling even at 91-91 when Rooks made the second of two free throws.

“I don’t think we converted our fast breaks or shots very well, and that was compounded by going 11 for 22 from the free-throw line,” Laker Coach Randy Pfund said of the first half. “I thought we should have had an eight-, 10-, 12-point lead early. All of a sudden we gave them a lot of life in the second quarter and boom, they went by us.

“I think it’s huge to get over this hump. Everyone I talked to had said this would be a breather, but I think it’s a huge positive. We’re in the entertainment business, and at least we’re giving the fans some exciting games on our home floor.”

A.C. Green will gladly settle for victorious boredom. “Yes, we won,” he said, “but it wasn’t a very good-looking victory, that’s for sure.”

Laker Notes

In filling out his ballot for All-Star reserves, Coach Randy Pfund asked his players and assistants for ideas. “I let the team vote how it should be,” he said. “I thought that was the fairest way to cast my vote. I also wanted to see what names they came up with.” He wouldn’t reveal his vote. . . . Sedale Threatt made his first three-pointer in 27 games, since Dec. 13. . . . After playing an average of 12 minutes over five games, Elden Campbell averaged 20.3 minutes over the three games before Monday. “My playing time hasn’t really been consistent,” he said. “He (Pfund) isn’t losing anything when he puts me in.”