LAKERS : Exhibitions Begin With Two Against Jazz

The Lakers open their exhibition schedule tonight with the first of two games against the Utah Jazz (10:30 p.m., PDT, Channel 9).

The teams also meet Saturday before returning to the mainland. The Lakers play the Clippers Wednesday at Las Vegas, then play their two Forum exhibitions, next Friday and Saturday in the four-team GTE Everything Pages Shootout. The exhibition schedule concludes with road games against Washington at Charleston, W.Va., at Miami and against New York at St. Petersburg, Fla.

The Jazz will be without Karl Malone and Mark Eaton. Malone has left camp because of a death in his family and Eaton is sidelined indefinitely because of a back problem. Kurt Rambis is doubtful for the Lakers because of tendinitis in his left knee, which has kept him out of the last four days of workouts.

Although Coach Randy Pfund expects to use these two games to test some of the young players trying to make the squad, the Lakers plan on a mostly familiar starting lineup tonight: Sedale Threatt and Anthony Peeler in the backcourt, Doug Christie and Elden Campbell at forward and Vlade Divac at center.

The roster is at 18, six over the limit. Pfund said he probably won’t make any cuts until after the two games at the Forum.