Lakers Jangle Spurs, 92-87 : Pro basketball: Scott, Worthy lead defense, yielding fewest points since Jan. 31.

Byron Scott and James Worthy didn’t need to be told they faced challenges Monday.

In the finale of a tedious trip, Worthy had to guard San Antonio forward Sean Elliott--seven years his junior--and Scott was matched against Dale Ellis, a superb shooter with a 17.7 scoring average.

They used different methods, but the results were similarly successful for them and the Lakers, who scored a 92-87 victory before a sellout crowd of 16,057 at the HemisFair Arena.

For Worthy, success meant overwhelming Elliott offensively in the early going. Worthy made five of his first six shots and finished with 24 points, his fifth 20-point performance in his last seven games. For Scott, the key was depriving Ellis of his favorite shot, a task he did well enough to hold Ellis to four points while scoring 17.

Spur center David Robinson had four points during the first half and finished with a game-high 26, but the Spurs committed 23 turnovers.

“James and Byron really stepped up tonight and did exceptional jobs,” Coach Randy Pfund said after the Lakers completed a 3-2 trip. “I thought Byron did a great job on Ellis, and he did a nice job offensively at the end of the game. And James had a lot of energy right from the get-go.

“It seemed he took the challenge against Sean. A veteran like James sees a young guy like Sean come along and take his spot as the Western Conference (All-Star) forward, he took it as a real challenge and played real well.”

One of Pfund’s favorite tactics is to challenge his players to overcome specific obstacles, such as a third-quarter deficit or a tough defensive matchup. It’s a strategy that might wear thin by repetition, but Pfund didn’t have to use it with Worthy and Scott Monday. They knew what to do.

“I always worry about what (Ellis) does well,” Scott said. “He pulls up and shoots if you give him any room. I had to make sure I was on him and let him try to drive on me.”

Which he was unable to do, because of Scott’s defense.

Said Robinson of Ellis: “We didn’t set great screens for him. Tonight was not a great example of helping each other out. We need to get guys rolling. We need to get Dale rolling.”

Worthy got the Lakers rolling to a 28-20 first-quarter lead with six-for-10 shooting. He had 18 points by halftime, when the Lakers had a 50-39 lead. Elliott had six points and finished with 17 for the Spurs, who are 28-11 since John Lucas replaced Jerry Tarkanian as coach.

Said Worthy: “For 11 years, I’ve tried to play the same, not really focusing on the matchups. . . . As a team, we’re still learning. This whole year has been a continuous learning process, not so much how to pace ourselves, but learning how to step up and mentally get your mind ready. Defense was the story of the game tonight. Our veterans stepped it up tonight.”

The Spurs’ 87 points were the fewest scored against the Lakers since Jan. 31, in a 96-87 victory at Boston. Their streak of scoring 100 or more points ended at 17, but given the outcome, Pfund didn’t mind.

“We’ve been playing some tough teams, teams that are hot, and this was a big win tonight, especially when you’re playing a team back-to-back,” said Pfund, whose team will face the Spurs Wednesday at the Forum.

“It doesn’t do any good to get the first and not win the second, so we’ll enjoy this for a few moments and get back and get ready for that one.”

Laker Notes

Benoit Benjamin was ejected with 9:16 to play for a flagrant foul against the Spurs’ Sean Elliott. . . . Doug Christie, who played small forward in his first two games, made his Laker debut at point guard. He was thrown in against Vinny Del Negro after Sedale Threatt drew his third foul, with 7:26 to play in the third quarter. Christie later played small forward, against Elliott, and made his first NBA free throw, after missing two at Atlanta Sunday and his first Monday. . . . Although he wasn’t happy with Anthony Peeler’s second-quarter effort, Pfund put him in with five minutes left in the game, after Threatt drew his fifth foul. Peeler made a three-pointer that put the Lakers ahead, 79-71. “I just had a hunch Anthony could get us through it,” Pfund said.