Lakers Defeat Jazz Again to Creep Up in Standings

The Lakers blew it again Wednesday night, apparently unaware this is a time they are supposed to be going in the tank, apparently unaware they are supposed to be on track for one of the worst records in the NBA to secure a top lottery pick.

The latest foul-up came at the Delta Center, where the Lakers, three nights after beating Utah at the Forum and one night after knocking off Phoenix for the third time, dumped the Jazz again, 103-96, behind 25 points from Sedale Threatt. Many more mistakes like this and they’ll be legitimately in the playoff hunt.

Say what?

That’s getting ahead of themselves, but the Lakers have already passed the Clippers in the standings, have won four in a row to tie the longest run of the season, seven out of 10, and are heading into what should be their most favorable stretch of schedule. Included in the next 15 outings are two games each against last-place Sacramento and Washington, two against Boston and one each against Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Dallas, Minnesota and the Clippers.

The Denver Nuggets are four games in the distance for the eighth and final playoff spot, still breathing room under any circumstances and especially since the new pursuer has also lost twice to the Kings and once to the Timberwolves and 76ers. But imagine even bringing up the conversation, say, back on, Jan. 20, when the Lakers were 11-25 and had just learned they would be without Anthony Peeler, Doug Christie and Sam Bowie.

“The schedule,” Coach Randy Pfund said. “Dallas, Indiana, Detroit. That’s what got us started. We got three teams who were in a similar situation as us. The last few games, we have taken a step up in class.”

That included Wednesday, another new test because the Lakers (18-28) needed to beat the Jazz (31-18) on the road on the second night of a back-to-back and while playing for the fifth time in seven days. Fatigue was a possibility, but so was fate.

So the Lakers simply grabbed a quick lead and went up by as many as eight points early in the first quarter. The advantage was seven at halftime, 49-42, before they shot 61.1% in the third quarter and led by 11.

The problems came in the fourth quarter. Actually, the problem: Karl Malone.

Working inside and hitting soft jumpers from the perimeter, he scored nine consecutive points, stepped aside for a Jay Humphries basket, then scored four more points, and Utah was within 89-88.

When Felton Spencer dunked with 2:20 remaining, the Jazz took the lead for the first time since early in the second quarter. That lasted all of 17 seconds, or until Threatt went to work. The player who scored 26 points in Tuesday’s Forum victory over Phoenix, he made two consecutive jumpers, then beat Humphries on a drive to the basket.

That put the Lakers back up, 97-93, with 53 seconds to go and, after the Jazz missed on the ensuing possession, Utah had to begin fouling. The Lakers held up at the line, too, converting all six attempts the last 41 seconds. Threatt had two of those to give him nine points in the fourth quarter, after going for 13 in the final period the night before.

“(John) Stockton one night and KJ (Kevin Johnson) the next,” Threatt said. “But right now I’m shooting the ball well.”

The big-name counterparts are falling for Threatt and the Lakers. The Jazz one night, the Suns the next. Then the Jazz again.

“The first half of the season, we were afraid of everybody,” Vlade Divac said after getting 18 points and nine rebounds to continue his impressive run. “Dallas, we would be afraid of. Now, we come here and we believe we can win. Utah, Houston, San Antonio, New York. It doesn’t matter.

“We don’t have a leader, don’t have a big-name player on our team, an all-star. So confidence is very important for us.”

The wins help, too.