Lakers Drop Below Freezing Point, 113-84 : Pro basketball: They shoot 31.2%, their worst performance since the franchise moved West. Abdul-Rauf and Mutombo lead the Nuggets.

The only shots of significance that connected were from Randy Pfund, the Lakers’ coach:

“It probably ranks pretty high up as one of the worst efforts.”

And: “We looked like a team 60 games into a season where we were really struggling. That just shouldn’t be five games in.”

Finally: “I don’t think there was any doubt as we got late into that game we stopped playing.”

The beginning wasn’t too great for the Lakers, either, not when the only good news Friday night was also the bad news, that the smallest Forum crowd in nearly 10 years watched. The 11,215, the lowest attendance since Dec. 15, 1983, also booed as the home team set a Los Angeles-era record by shooting only 31.2% in a 113-84 loss to the Denver Nuggets, who were led by Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf’s 25 points and Dikembe Mutombo’s career-high 24 rebounds.

The Lakers’ Tony Smith was three of 15. Nick Van Exel was five of 16. Antonio Harvey was one of six. James Worthy was two of 13. The only offense of note was from Doug Christie, who made nine of 18 attempts en route to a career-high 21 points in his first NBA start.

The Lakers shot 31.6% against Phoenix on Nov. 8, 1991, the first game after Magic Johnson’s initial retirement. They had no such excuses this time, when even a fourth-quarter surge--34.8% shooting--could not save them.

Pfund made one expected lineup change, but held off on the other, elevating Christie to starter at small forward but sticking with Harvey at power forward because he feared 6-foot-8 Trevor Wilson would have been overpowered. For Christie, it was the culmination of his recovery from a badly sprained ankle suffered in the first exhibition.

“It was time for Doug to get that slot,” Pfund said.

Christie responded with 12 points in the first half, but the rest of the Lakers combined for only 31. That was worth a nine-point lead for the Nuggets, who began the night as the worst-shooting team in the league but went 51.2% the first two quarters.

That had climbed to 53.1% by the end of the third period, when Denver was in control, 84-61.

Laker Notes

Decision day for the Lakers appears to be Sunday, when two starters, Elden Campbell and Anthony Peeler, are scheduled to be activated from the injured list. The question is, where do the two roster spots come from? One probable option is a convenient ailment for James Edwards, who has yet to make a regular-season appearance, and put him on the injured list. But the 17th-year center has already told the Lakers he would prefer to be waived and have the opportunity to play somewhere, rather than spend the season “sidelined” as a security blanket against Vlade Divac or Sam Bowie being hurt.

“I think they already know how I feel,” Edwards said. “I’m in the last year of my contract, I spent the last 26 games of last season on the bench, and I feel I still have some good games left in me. I would rather they released me than put me on the injured list.” Said Coach Randy Pfund: “We’ll just have to wait and see what develops. I still think Buddha has a very effective game. I am in no way down on James Edwards, but I can’t play all 12 guys.” If he is waived, one possible destination is Portland, looking for some help in the middle after Chris Dudley suffered a broken ankle.

Friday night, Dikembe Mutombo provided Divac’s first real challenge at center. He previously had faced Mark West of Phoenix, Sam Perkins of Seattle, Clifford Robinson of Portland and Mike Peplowski and Duane Causwell of Sacramento. Mutombo had 11 points and 24 rebounds; Divac had seven and six, respectively. Next up for Divac: the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Brad Daugherty on Sunday.