Lakers’ Net Win Is Gross : Pro basketball: They blow double-digit lead to New Jersey, then hold on in overtime, 120-116.

They spent the fourth quarter Wednesday night at the Forum doing a Cedric Ceballos impression. Limping. Bleeding. Looking fragile.

At least Ceballos had a legitimate excuse--he was involved in a one-camera pileup under the basket with 7:07 left in regulation. The Lakers? They were only falling over themselves, having been outrebounded by New Jersey, 21-2, in the period while making three of 15 shots. So much for that 13-point lead in the closing seconds of the third.

Then came the recovery. Ceballos returned after being out of commission for 3 minutes 32 seconds, which included a brief stop in the locker room because of a bruised right knee, to finish off his 33 points and 10 rebounds, and the Lakers returned to finish off the Nets in overtime, 120-116, before 11,140.

Ceballos said later he was fine, that it only looked a lot worse as he slowly walked from the baseline near the Net bench to the tunnel at the other end with the aid of trainer Gary Vitti for a quick examination inside. The explanation was that he didn’t want to drip any blood from the knee onto the court.

The Lakers, meanwhile, were as bad as they looked.

Of course, it could have been much worse. They could have blown a second-half double-digit lead to a sub-.500 team from the Eastern Conference for the second time in three games, but this was not to be a replay of the Philadelphia story.

“This is the kind of breakdown we must avoid,” Coach Del Harris said after the Lakers improved to 25-13. “It’s the same thing that beat us in Philadelphia. The major thing was the breakdown in rebounding.”

When the Lakers blew a 16-point fourth-quarter lead and lost to the 76ers in overtime on Saturday, they were beaten on the boards, 52-41. This time, against one of the best rebounding teams in the league, the deficit was 65-46, with most of the damage coming in the fourth quarter.

“We knew they were still fighting,” Ceballos said of the Nets. “We just didn’t take care of the rebounding situation.”

They took care of overtime, though, with Eddie Jones, who scored all 19 of his points after halftime, getting his final four then. Vlade Divac accounted for four of the Lakers’ six rebounds in the extra period--two fewer than New Jersey--part of his 18 points and 15 rebounds before fouling out with 2:29 left in overtime. Nick Van Exel added 16 points and 15 assists.

The Nets almost got more than an improbable victory--they almost got revenge. It was New Jersey, after all, that blew a 16-point lead with eight minutes to go when the teams met Nov. 29 at Meadowlands Arena, what ultimately became a double-overtime, double-emotional victory for the Lakers.

What the visitors got in the end, though, was disappointment.

“We just need a win right now,” said Kenny Anderson, who had 25 points and 13 rebounds, brushing aside the potential pay-back factor. “We’re struggling. We just needed a win.”

At least the Nets got one unexpected development: Derrick Coleman.

Listed as questionable when the night began because of a hip injury suffered in Tuesday’s victory at Golden State, he appeared out for sure when Armon Gilliam started at power forward and the public-address announcer said Coleman would not play. That notion lasted until midway through the first quarter, when the all-star checked in.

Coleman finished with 24 points and 17 rebounds in 35 minutes off the bench.

Laker Notes

Sixth man Sedale Threatt, who has been sidelined the last 12 games with a stress fracture of the right foot, met with team physician Steve Lombardo on Tuesday and was cleared to begin light workouts. If all goes well and the veteran guard shows no adverse signs, he soon might be able to take part in full-court drills and scrimmages and then be activated within about a week. The Lakers are 8-4 since he last played. . . . Wednesday’s game was the start of a stretch in which the Lakers play 12 of 19 at the Forum and two of the road games are against the Clippers. Moreover, they don’t have anything more than one-game trips for practically six weeks. “The schedule doesn’t make that much of a difference one way or another,” Coach Del Harris said. “What makes a difference is how players respond to that schedule.”