Instead of Bouncing Back, Lakers Get Bounced, 126-113

What’s left for the Lakers to count on when one of the few resources they had left--the knack of winning close games--deserts them?

Not much.

Christian Laettner scored 10 points in a 15-0 fourth-quarter Minnesota run Wednesday night to lead the Timberwolves to a 126-113 victory before an announced crowd of 13,350 at the Forum.

The Lakers had a 109-106 lead with 4:15 to play, but Laettner took over, ensuring the Timberwolves (18-51) of their first Forum victory in eight tries, their most productive offensive performance of the season and their first three-game winning streak since last March.

The Lakers are 11-5 in games decided by three points or fewer, but their defense couldn’t contain Laettner and keep the game close. Minnesota entered the game with a league-low 97.5 scoring average.

“We’re getting better. We’re improving by leaps and bounds,” said Laettner, who had 28 points to lead four Timberwolves in the 20s. “Hopefully, this is not a fleeting thing. . . . It was happening for me because they decided to trap Micheal Williams and they were doing it with the guy who was guarding me (A.C. Green). Micheal was doing a good job getting me the ball and I was making good decisions.”

The Lakers trailed by two when Byron Scott lost the ball as he tried to split two defenders. They trailed by four when Scott missed a three-pointer and Marlon Maxey overcame Green for the rebound. That set up a jumper by Williams for a 115-109 lead and sent many of the remaining fans toward the exits.

“Personally, (not maintaining control of a close game is) the most disturbing thing to me, because down the wire, we seem to be hesitating a little bit with our shots and with our execution,” Laker Coach Randy Pfund said after his team’s 10th loss in 14 games dropped its record below .500 (34-35). This is the first time the Lakers have been below .500 after 69 games since 1974-75, when they were 24-45; and it left them half a game ahead of the Clippers for the seventh Western Conference playoff berth.

“Some of the problem is scouting, and I’ve got to keep looking for adjustments to make us less predictable,” Pfund added. “We have one less option than we had with Sam (Perkins). We run a lot of our offense around Sedale (Threatt) and Vlade (Divac), and when James (Worthy) isn’t hitting his shots, that makes it worse.”

Pfund repeated he might change the lineup for the Lakers’ next game, Sunday at home against Utah. Anthony Peeler or Doug Christie could start at guard or Elden Campbell at forward; Tony Smith, who scored 10 points while containing Chuck Person in the second quarter, might also get a chance.

“We’re low right now, but it’s going to get better,” Pfund said.

Said Smith: “I’m not sure what we need, but we need something to give us a change of attitude. We don’t have the right aggressive attitude going into games. If we were confident, we’d be a little more aggressive on offense and defense.”

Laker Notes

Sedale Threatt led the Lakers with 22 points. . . . Rookie Doug Christie conceded he’s “not handling too well” the pressure put on him by opponents’ point guards, but he would rather stay at point guard than play small forward. “It’s going to be a learning experience for me night in and night out, but that’s where I want to play,” said Christie, who had eight points and two turnovers Wednesday in 14 minutes, most of them against Micheal Williams. “I think we have a fantastic two-guard in Anthony (Peeler) and maybe we’ll get a small forward in the draft. The best position for me ultimately is going to be point guard, and it’s a matter of whether I mature and develop quickly or slowly.”