Latest Loss by Lakers a Painful Reminder : Pro basketball: Bitter reality of missing playoffs becomes clear after 105-98 setback against Nuggets.

The season ends for the Lakers in three more games.

Not the regular season.

The season.

For the first time since 1975-76, they are not going to the playoffs, ending the longest active string of appearances in the league and the third-longest in NBA history. After this weekend, they are done, meaning these last few outings--including Tuesday night’s 105-98 loss to the Denver Nuggets at McNichols Arena--have been a cool down instead of the usual warmup.

“Weird,” Vlade Divac said.

“Really weird,” Coach Magic Johnson seconded.

“It’s a damn shame,” Kurt Rambis said.

It is only the third time the Lakers have failed to make the playoffs since moving to Los Angeles in 1960. James Worthy is nearing the end of his 12th season and this is his first experience as a have-not. Likewise for Johnson, who arrived in 1979, and other Laker lifers like Divac, Elden Campbell and Tony Smith.

“It’s very unusual,” Worthy said. “There’s not a lot to say. It’s something I’m not accustomed to, playing 82 games and not making the playoffs.”

Said Johnson: “I know it’s weird to everybody--us and the NBA. The other teams, you know they love it. This is their payback for all those years. But it hurts. It hurts the league. People won’t say it, but it hurts not having both the Lakers and Boston in it. That’s so many of the fans across the country.

“First of all, we’re used to doing it. We’re used to being there. Then one of the guys will see someone on TNT or whatever and say, ‘Damn.’ That’s when it will really sink in. Then and when the playoff check isn’t there.”

Facing the team that beat them out for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot, the Lakers played without Nick Van Exel, who had the flu, and with Campbell and Divac in foul trouble and still were in contention in the fourth quarter. They were down only 99-97 before Divac went out because of a sprained ankle with 2:22 left after scoring a team-high 22 points.

“It sure makes you feel good,” Johnson said. “We had gone so far south since Denver beat us the last time . . . . I’ve been on them and on them tough. It’s nice to compliment them.”

The Lakers called Divac’s sprain moderate. Precautionary X-rays will be taken today.

“I thought I broke my foot,” he said. “But a couple of minutes later, it was much better.”

Laker Notes

The Lakers have lost seven in a row, their longest skid since Feb. 13-22, 1992. . . . . Tony Smith might have been replaced Saturday as the starting shooting guard after being in the opening lineup the previous 10 games, but he didn’t lose the job. The distinction is important because the switch in favor of Doug Christie came because the Lakers wanted to get Christie some playing time, not because Smith struggled. He lost the same job to Sedale Threatt under Randy Pfund because of poor shooting, but Smith, the team’s best defensive guard, averaged 14.5 points and shot 52.1% in the 10 recent starts.