Worthy Helps the Lakers Escape Nuggets, 119-118

Without fanfare and certainly without warning, he returned, if only for a night.

Big Game James.

His Laker nickname has worn thin this season, but Tuesday night was a time for redemption for James Worthy, the player who hasn’t been making much of a contribution, and for the team that two nights earlier lost in the final second.

Worthy, who had made only 19 of 54 shots the previous four games and was at 40% for the season, made 11 of 15 shots, including both three-point attempts, and scored a team-high 27 points as the Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets, 119-118, at McNichols Arena.

The Lakers will remember it as a night they dodged what could have been a disastrous finish because of Worthy’s performance, Sedale Threatt’s 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting and James Edwards’ 14 points, all off of the bench.

The Nuggets will remember it as the night they got ripped off--and rightly so.

When Bryant Stith stole Worthy’s entry pass at midcourt after a Laker timeout and knocked it ahead to LaPhonso Ellis, the Lakers were a layup away from blowing a game in which they had a one-point lead and the ball with 3.2 seconds to play.

But Ellis’ soft dunk attempt hit the heel of the rim and officials ruled that Brian Williams’ tip-in came after the buzzer.

As the Lakers charged toward the locker room after ending a four-game losing streak, the Nuggets argued with officials. Some thought the basket by Williams should have counted.

But others, such as Coach Dan Issel, who followed officials down the hallway for some post-game berating, were angry about the non-call when Anthony Peeler grabbed Ellis’ arm a few steps from the basket.

“I got him good,” Peeler said later, smiling.

But instead of getting two shots in a one-point game, the Nuggets got a loss.

“It doesn’t matter if I was fouled,” Ellis said. “I’ve made plenty of dunks with contact.”

It also preserved Worthy’s status as a hero, after a play on which even he acknowledged that a timeout probably would have been a better move than forcing the pass.

The spark was there from the start, when he entered in the second quarter and made seven of 11 shots and scored 16 points in eight minutes before halftime.

That keyed the Lakers’ 26-7 run, which took them from 13 points behind to six ahead.

“It’s been a while,” Worthy said. “Maybe once or twice last year.”

He had seven points in the third quarter and, of his four points in the fourth, three came on a shot with 3:50 remaining that gave the Lakers the lead for good, 112-111. Threatt got 11 of his points in the final period.

“Score one for the old guys,” Edwards said.

Score one for the Lakers.

Laker Notes

Sam Bowie will undergo arthroscopic surgery today as the Lakers try to determine the exact cause of the problems with his left knee, which could mean a stint on the injured list and the return of Kurt Rambis. No timetable for Bowie’s return will be known until after the operation, but the procedure itself, even if nothing is repaired, usually means about a week on the sidelines. The backup center and power forward has already sat out five games and returned to Los Angeles on Tuesday after failing to respond to treatment. The Lakers have spoken to Rambis about rejoining the team and received an encouraging response, even though he was upset about coming back late in the summer only to be cut Dec. 14 after only 23 games.

“If they came to Kurt, he’d probably listen,” agent Lon Rosen said. “But nothing has been offered.” Rambis is scheduled to leave for Argentina on Sunday as part of Magic Johnson’s all-star tour. . . . Reggie Williams had 27 points for the Nuggets. . . . The 63 points by the Lakers were the most they have scored in a first half this season.