Lakers Finally Shake the Warriors, 117-111 : Pro basketball: Peeler helps fuel late rally by Los Angeles. Knee injury sidelines Hardaway.

He could have passed, and he knew the Warriors were expecting him to lay the ball off, but Anthony Peeler had other thoughts.

“They were trapping and they weren’t really looking toward me to shoot the ball,” he said. “They were looking for me to pass. I just wanted to show them I can score, too.”

Peeler showed the Warriors the many dimensions of his game when he made a three-point shot from the right side with 1:22 to play that gave the Lakers the lead for good and launched them to a 117-111 victory Wednesday night over Golden State before 15,025 at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

After Peeler put the Lakers ahead, 111-109, A.C. Green--who played the entire game--made a 19-foot jumper off a pass from Peeler. The Warriors fought back when Latrell Sprewell, who scored a game-high 26 points, stepped in front of Sedale Threatt for a steal and an uncontested layup that cut the Lakers’ lead to 113-111 with 32 seconds left, but Vlade Divac scored from the left corner with 16 seconds left for a 115-111 lead.

Green clinched it with a layup off a pass from James Worthy, finishing with 24 points in 48 minutes.

The Warriors battled gamely. Injuries left them without Sarunas Marciulionis and Chris Mullin, and they lost Tim Hardaway for at least two weeks to a sprained right knee 1:18 into the second quarter.

“We should have had all kinds of advantages, but I’ve found out over the years with Nellie (Coach Don Nelson) and the Warriors, those don’t always turn out to be advantages,” Laker Coach Randy Pfund said after his team increased its lead over the Warriors to six games in the Western Conference playoff chase.

“Their small guys know how to play big, their medium guys know how to post. Mentally, Nellie puts you through the wringer.”

The Lakers didn’t escape unscathed, however. Forward Elden Campbell, who has been playing well in crucial situations lately, turned his left ankle in the first half and had to leave with 2:40 left in the third after trying to play with it taped.

Overall, though, Pfund was delighted. “Anthony showed some real life,” he said. “The last couple games, his wrist has been feeling better, and that’s a good sign. . . . This was a big win. They’re a team chasing us as far as playoff position so this is really (worth) two games.”

Said Nelson: “We severely damaged our (playoff) chances tonight.”

The Lakers took a 66-59 halftime lead, thanks largely to Threatt’s 12-point second quarter and 10 points from Peeler. Chris Gatling had 12 points and Sprewell 14.

Abetted by 14 Warrior turnovers that they turned into 20 points, the Lakers moved ahead, 52-42, on a layup by Peeler with 5:08 to play in the half. Gatling and Jeff Grayer sandwiched layups around a short jumper by Campbell, cutting the Lakers’ lead to 54-48, and the teams traded baskets until Threatt made a 17-footer for his seventh field goal in 12 attempts.

The Warriors took the lead in the opening minutes of the third quarter with a 14-2 run.

Laker Notes

James Worthy, who had back spasms Tuesday and Wednesday, started the game and played 37 minutes. He scored 12 points. . . . A.C. Green played in his 539th consecutive game, the 10th-longest streak in NBA history. . . . After Tim Hardaway was helped off and couldn’t shoot his free throws, Laker Coach Randy Pfund was entitled to select a replacement. He asked his assistants to find Golden State’s worst free-throw shooter and they nominated Jeff Grayer--a 68% shooter--who sank both free throws. “Way to go, guys,” Pfund said.