Defensive Lapse Hurts the Lakers : Pro basketball: The Warriors score on 38 layups in a 128-117 victory.

Their playoff charge suddenly a distant memory, the Lakers are going slowly into the good night, even after hearing the news at halftime that Denver had lost, they . . . .

Collapsed.

“I told them at halftime Denver lost,” Coach Magic Johnson said. “Then we came out like we did. I just don’t understand it.”

The Lakers are, indeed, a confusing bunch. The same team that recently held four consecutive opponents to 95 points or less had its defense dismantled by the Golden State Warriors, not just by the 128-117 margin before 13,302 at the Forum, but the way it was done.

“The disappointing thing is the number of layups,” Johnson said Tuesday night after the Lakers had their first three-game losing streak since February. “When you give up 38 layups, you expect to lose. Golden State is not a big team, but they just pushed us around, outmuscled us.”

Which is why the Lakers took another step toward the NBA’s 98-pound weakling division--the lottery. Even with the Nuggets losing to the Suns and still having to play at San Antonio tonight, Denver’s magic number to eliminate the Lakers is down to four with seven games to go.

Against the team that has made short lineups famous, the Lakers unveiled their own: Elden Campbell going from power forward to center, George Lynch going from small forward to become a 6-foot-7 power forward and Doug Christie going from shooting guard to his old small forward spot. The backcourt stayed the same, with Tony Smith and Nick Van Exel.

The move was prompted by Vlade Divac showing up late to practice Monday, after being warned about his tardiness in the past. He accepted the penalty of opening on the bench and said he expects to be back in the starting lineup tonight at Phoenix.

“If I’m on time,” he said before the Warrior game. “So far so good.”

Divac missed just three minutes before checking in, by which time the Lakers trailed, 12-5, and had three of their shots blocked and another turnover in the first seven possessions. The Lakers caught up just before the end of the first quarter, but Divac lasted only 3:03 before leaving with two fouls. He played 30 minutes in all, finishing with 12 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.

The Warriors had a 64-59 lead at halftime, with four of their five starters already in double figures. It was up to 91-78 when James Worthy and Golden State’s Chris Gatling scuffled and were ejected with 2:27 remaining in the third quarter, instigated when the two got tangled after Worthy’s jumper in front of the Warriors’ bench.

Both appeared to take swings and shoved each other in the face before being separated and heading to the locker room. The Lakers appeared to get the best of the ejections--Gatling had 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting and seven rebounds as the starting center while Worthy was just three of 10 from the field for eight points.

Laker Notes

Negotiations with Nick Van Exel on a long-term contract have gained such momentum that the rookie point guard said chances are good he will reach an informal agreement before the end of the season, though he can’t sign until after July 1. “It’s a good possibility,” he said. “A real strong possibility. I’m hoping it does so I don’t have to worry about it this summer.” Van Exel accepted a one-year deal at the league minimum $150,000 after slipping into the second round of the draft, convinced that he would be better off taking that and then becoming a restricted free agent so the Lakers could ignore the salary cap to re-sign him. The gamble has paid off as Van Exel has become the only Laker to start every game and is threatening the NBA rookie record for three-pointers. He says he is now hoping for a six-year contract, and his agent, Tony Dutt, talked again with General Manager Jerry West on Tuesday. “I know the organization and I know that everyone here is pretty good people and they take care of people,” Van Exel said. “I haven’t caused any problems. They stuck by me and gave me a chance to start. I look at it like they’re going to take care of me.”

Kurt Rambis sat out his third consecutive game because of a strained rib muscle.