Lakers Take Step in Right Direction : Pro basketball: Victory over Bullets puts them two games above .500 for first time in since 1992-93 season.

It might be minor success for the Lakers, but nobody with their recent past turns down a steppingstone.

The latest came Saturday night at USAir Arena, where not only did they beat the Washington Bullets, 112-96; not only did they win for the fourth time in a row and fifth in six games, and not only did they start the second East Coast swing of the opening month with back-to-back victories, they improved to 7-5.

The big deal is this: The Lakers are two games above .500 for the first time since March 21, 1993. For the first time in about a year and a half, after never getting better than one above last season.

“It’s been a long time,” Sedale Threatt said.

To understand how long it has been on a team in transition, consider that only five players--Elden Campbell, Vlade Divac, Anthony Peeler, Tony Smith and Threatt--remain from that 1992-93 squad. Fittingly, most played a key role before 18,756, many of whom stayed to the end to boo the Bullets off the floor.

Campbell had 17 points and seven rebounds, four on offense.

Divac made only four of 15 shots, but had 12 rebounds and 11 points.

Threatt had 14 points in 19 minutes off the bench.

Smith made four of seven shots, including two of four three-point attempts.

Combine that with the contributions of the “newcomers”--the 18 points and 14 rebounds by Cedric Ceballos and the 22 points and 13 assists by Nick Van Exel--and the Lakers’ lead was at least 10 points the final 15 1/2 minutes. In that same time, they were up by as many as 19, at 89-70 late in the third quarter.

“They’re up right now,” Coach Del Harris said. “Hopefully we can ride the crest. I hoped this trip would bring us together as a team. So far, it’s moving in that direction.”

The direction is up, in more ways than one. The Lakers are feeling good and now head north to play New Jersey on Tuesday before finishing the four-game trip the next night at Cleveland, a team they beat last Friday.

“Team ball,” said Van Exel, who broke the 20-point barrier for the fifth time in the 12 games. “The whole effort, at both ends of the court. Guys wanting it more.”

So the improvement has been about attitude?

“Big-time attitude,” he said.

There have been other welcome additions along the way, most significantly of late the emergence of Smith as something more than a defensive weapon and Antonio Harvey as a factor at power forward. Saturday, Eddie Jones played the role of new arrival.

Jones never left, of course, but he had disappeared. Impressive on the four-game trip that started the season, he got flu soon after, and so did his game, with symptoms that included an achy jump shot. The illness went away, but the effects lingered, all the way to averaging only 4.8 points and shooting 35.7% in 17.4 minutes the five previous outings.

The Bullets proved to be the cure for Jones. Boosted by a strong first quarter, when he made four of six shots, including a three-pointer, and grabbed three rebounds, he finished with 15 points on seven-of-13 shooting, five rebounds and three steals.

“I’m not back yet,” Jones said afterward. “Coming, though.”

The Lakers as a whole know the feeling.

Laker Notes

Chris Webber had 22 points and 20 rebounds for the Bullets, but was hardly a force on offense anywhere besides the boards. Almost all his points came on tip-ins as part of his seven offensive rebounds, slam dunks, and free throws. . . . Sam Bowie, at 33 a kid compared to some centers in the league, said he will probably retire after this season, his 11th, even though he is still good enough to draw interest from other teams if the Lakers decide not to re-sign him as an unrestricted free agent. “I still enjoy the game,” he said. “(But) all the surgeries and injuries have really taken a toll on me. I guess next year would be a longshot for me.” Bowie said he has made about $20 million as a pro since Portland passed on Michael Jordan to take him second overall in 1984, so he won’t stick around only for a paycheck.

* THE NBA: Two weeks into what looks like a long season ahead, Clipper Coach Bill Fitch feels as if he has already seen everything. Mark Heisler’s column, C14

* ROUNDUP: Cleveland sets an NBA record by trying only two free throws, but the Cavaliers set a team record with 11 three-pointers in a 101-87 victory over Golden State. C14