Lakers Clinch a Playoff Berth

Too weary to celebrate and aware that their toughest challenge lies ahead, the Lakers kept their rejoicing to a minimum after rallying for a 115-112 victory over Golden State in the Forum on Sunday and qualifying for the playoffs for the 17th consecutive season.

“We know Phoenix, and I think everybody in the league knows Phoenix, but we’ve got to get our game together before we worry about them,” James Worthy said of the Lakers’ probable first-round opponent.

“We don’t have a chance if we’re not playing the way we can play. We can’t worry about stopping (Charles) Barkley or anyone else if we’re not playing our own game.”

The Warriors, who will be in the draft lottery, played their leading scorer, Tim Hardaway, for only 25 minutes; their top rebounder, Tyrone Hill, played 30. Victor Alexander had a season-high 29 points to lead the Warriors.

“It was fortunate for us they had some people who were playing limited minutes, because at times tonight we had some difficulty,” Laker Coach Randy Pfund said. “They’re an unorthodox team. . . . They can make you look bad. I thought our guys fought back and played hard.

“We didn’t talk about (making) the playoffs. In this organization, it’s accepted that you get to the playoffs. We talked about playing better each night.”

Tony Smith scored all nine of his points during the fourth quarter as the Lakers (37-41) kept alive their slim hopes of overtaking the Clippers for the seventh Western Conference seeding. A.C. Green had a team-high 14 rebounds and 22 points, sharing the scoring lead with Worthy.

“We’ve got to continue to play hard, like our backs are to the wall,” Smith said after the game, played before a crowd of 14,827.

“Now, we’ve got to work on getting some type of momentum and confidence. We’re not going in there just to lose. We’re going in there to try and win.”

From 9:10 left in the fourth quarter until 1:47 remained, the Lakers outscored the Warriors, 22-8, as Vlade Divac had eight of his 16 points during the period.

A three-pointer by Alexander closed Golden State’s deficit to 112-110 with 17.9 seconds to play. Worthy was fouled by Sean Higgins and made both free throws for a 114-110 Laker lead, but Andre Spencer’s basket cut that to 114-112 with 11.6 seconds left. Fouled by Spencer, Worthy made only one of his two free throws, but Latrell Sprewell’s attempt at a game-tying three-pointer fell short.

Said Sedale Threatt: “We’re glad to be in the playoffs and we know, because of the last time we played Phoenix (a 115-114 loss April 6), we can definitely play with them. They can be beat.”

Anthony Peeler and Doug Christie, who teamed with Duane Cooper to spark a near-comeback Friday, weren’t effective during the first half Sunday. Christie was scoreless and Peeler had two points, both on free throws, before he left the game because of a hip-pointer he suffered in a collision with Byron Houston. Cooper didn’t play.

“I still have to work on my left hand a lot more and on handling pressure,” Christie said. “I’m learning now to give it up to Anthony or Byron (Scott) if I can’t bring it up.

“At point guard, you’re at the helm of the ship. You have to control four guys--nine, really, because you have to control the defense. So far, I think I’ve done fairly well. Sometimes I’ve done some dumb things, but veterans do some dumb things, too.”