Lakers’ Eddie Jones Given MVP Award Despite Team’s Loss : Pro basketball: He wins the honor over Glenn Robinson after scoring a game-high 25 points at the Rookie All-Star game.

Laker swingman Eddie Jones was walking off the court after scoring a game-high 25 points in the Rookie All-Star game Saturday at the America West Arena when an NBA official grabbed him.

“Eddie,” the man said, “get back on the court, you were voted the MVP.”

Jones scored 16 points in the second half as the Green team overcame a 16-point deficit to force the game into overtime. Dallas Maverick guard Jason Kidd, the second player selected in the 1994 NBA draft, made a layup with 3.5 seconds remaining to tie it at 79-79 at the end of regulation.

Instead of the five-minute overtime period normally employed in NBA games, the Rookie All-Star game used a sudden-death overtime format in which the first team to score three points won.

Jones’ team never scored again as Milwaukee Buck forward Glenn Robinson made a layup and Clipper forward Lamond Murray, who had 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds, made a game-winning dunk to lift the White team to an 83-79 victory.

Although Jones made four three-pointers and had six steals and four assists, he thought Robinson, the first player selected in the NBA draft, would win the MVP award.

“I didn’t go into the game trying to size somebody’s game up to mine,” Jones said. “I just go out and play and let my game speak. I don’t go out and say, ‘I’m better than this guy.’ ”

A media panel selected Jones over Robinson, who had 21 points, but scored only six points in the second half.

“I’ve been admiring Eddie Jones’ game since he was at Temple,” Robinson said. “A lot of people didn’t know about him, but they know about him now. He’s certainly a great player. He can score, rebound and defend. He can do everything.”

After being selected to participate in the rookie game, Jones said he would rather have stayed home to rest. Jones is going to need all the rest he can get in the second half of the season because the Lakers have moved him from shooting guard to small forward to replace forward Cedric Ceballos, sidelined with torn ligaments in his right thumb.

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Former USC star Harold Miner, who won the NBA slam dunk championship in 1993 but sat out last year’s dunking contest because of a knee injury, defeated defending slam dunk champion Isaiah (J.R.) Rider of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who missed two of four dunks in the finals.

“I was telling some people going into this that for some reason I was a little bit nervous,” Rider said. “There are no excuses. I just missed dunks.”

Miner joins Michael Jordan and Boston Celtic forward Dominique Wilkins as the only two-time NBA dunking champions.

Nicknamed Baby Jordan when he was at Inglewood High, Miner is trying to distance himself from Jordan.

Miner, who wore the same number (23) as Jordan, has changed his number to four, his junior high school number, in an attempt to remake himself.

“I’m grown now,” said Miner, 23. “As far as trying to be like Michael, we’re two different people. I’m a grown man now.”

Miami Heat swingman Glen Rice edged Indiana Pacer sharpshooter Reggie Miller to win the three-point shooting contest, 17-16, when Miller missed his final shot.

“I kept hearing people picking Reggie and Chuck (Person)--that helped me get motivated,” Rice said. “I was definitely confident. I honestly and truly believed that if I got in the rhythm, I’d walk away the winner.”