Lakers Again Dig Deep Hole, 103-88 : Pro basketball: They come back in the fourth quarter but still fall to the SuperSonics.

Anthony Peeler was on the Laker bench in street clothes, his status day-to-day because of shin splints in his right leg.

Doug Christie was home, continuing to rest and rehabilitate his sprained ankle.

Elden Campbell, a third starter?

He’s there, somewhere. In the opening lineup for 29 of his 30 appearances but hardly a fixture, Campbell’s only constant role is that of an enigma, reinforced Tuesday night in the Lakers’ 103-88 loss to the Seattle SuperSonics before 14,627 at Seattle Coliseum.

He had 10 points, six rebounds, four blocks and an uncertain place in the rotation. He starts, but that has became a matter of semantics over the last six games, when Campbell has averaged only 23.3 minutes and only a few worthwhile moments. The 29 minutes against the SuperSonics were his most in that stretch, after going 21, 26, 21, 25 and 18 over the five previous outings.

“I guess he’s just trying different combinations,” Campbell said of Coach Randy Pfund. “If it’s going to work, I’m all for it. If not, it’s tough.”

So what does he think so far?

“It’s still in the experimental stage. I’ll give it a few more games.

“I think I need to be in a little more. Consistent minutes, consistent play, I think that’s true. But he’s experimenting with a few things.”

Pfund does have a plan: playing those who will rebound. That is why Kurt Rambis got 15 minutes Tuesday and George Lynch has gone 34 and 40 in the two games he has started and stayed out of foul trouble.

“I have reduced his (Campbell’s) minutes,” Pfund said. “I thought at times tonight he was very active one on one. I just like George’s being so active. I want to play George a lot of minutes.”

Lynch had three of his seven steals, the most by a Laker this season, in the fourth quarter, when the push toward a respectable final score arrived right on schedule, following the pattern of recent games in turning routs into simply losses. This time, the Lakers trailed by 78-56 at the end of the third quarter before chipping away.

They had Seattle’s attention when it the score became 81-71, prompting a SuperSonic timeout with 7:26 to go. When Nick Van Exel made back-to-back three-pointers soon after, the score was 83-77. And the Lakers were still in striking distance at 90-81 with 4:10 left.

Or at least they were until going scoreless for the next 1:57.

By the time the Lakers scored their next point, with 2:13 remaining, Seattle had a 94-83 lead, the momentum and a 17-1 home record.

“I never, ever thought they were a threat,” Coach George Karl said of the comeback. “The only thing they had was Van Exel’s threes.”

Laker Notes

The Lakers said Doug Christie will sit out at least another week because of the sprained left ankle that has already sidelined him since last Tuesday, which should mean a minimum of three more games without their leading scorer. That word came hours after the NBA announced he would compete in the slam dunk contest at all-star weekend in a field that will also include the former USC backcourt of Miami’s Harold Miner and Denver’s Robert Pack. Shawn Kemp of Seattle, James Robinson of Portland and Isaiah Rider of Minnesota also will take part next month in Minneapolis. Miner is the defending champion. . . . Antonio Harvey also sat out his third consecutive game because of a strained hip muscle and is expected to be sidelined at least another week.

The SuperSonics played without Nate McMillan, the league leader in steals, who has a sprained left ankle, and Ricky Pierce, who was in Texas for a funeral. That meant none of the main combatants from the Dec. 29 scuffle at the Forum--Anthony Peeler, Christie and Pierce--were in attendance for the rematch. . . . The Lakers have lost nine in a row at Seattle, their longest road skid against any team. . . . When Laker coaches and officials talk today, Randy Pfund plans to send up an SOS, maybe asking that someone be brought in on a 10-day contract to offset the injuries to Christie, Peeler and Harvey. “With all these guys out, it makes sense for us to grab somebody,” Pfund said. “Even if it’s just in practice, we’re down to nine players.”

* CLIPPERS: Mark Aguirre has the last laugh, scoring 23 points as the Clippers defeat the Miami Heat, 126-124. C4