Lakers Just Lose It in Seattle : Pro basketball: Van Exel ejected on top of horrible shooting in 103-89 loss.

The Lakers couldn’t make a basket Saturday. Maybe they could at least make a point.

The ineptitude of a 103-89 loss to the Seattle SuperSonics before 17,102 at KeyArena, during which the Lakers set a team record for fewest field goals in a game and tied the mark for fewest assists, combined with the frustration of Nick Van Exel over the replacement officials to make it a miserable night all around.

The Lakers finished 24 of 66 (36.4%) from the field, two baskets worse than any other Los Angeles Laker team. They shot 28.6% in the opening half, then got off only 10 shots in the third quarter, although going 10 of 14 at the line at least kept them within striking distance.

That they stayed close at all was an accomplishment in itself. Coach Del Harris counted 13 Laker fast breaks in the first half . . . and one basket.

“Tonight was just awful,” Harris said after the Lakers dropped to 1-1. “At times it [the running game] was nonexistent. And that was the good part.”

It was left to Elden Campbell to supply the stability, a night after he managed eight points and zero rebounds in 19 minutes against Denver. Playing another in a line of standout games against Shawn Kemp and the SuperSonics, he had 24 points on eight-of-14 shooting, 14 rebounds and two blocks.

End of highlight reel.

“It was just one of those things when we couldn’t get our shots to go,” Campbell said. “You’re supposed to pick it up on defense, but we pretty much just let them do whatever they wanted to on offense.”

The four other starters--George Lynch, Vlade Divac, Cedric Ceballos and Van Exel--were a combined six of 31. Lynch went three of nine and Ceballos three of 12, but at least they were around at the end.

Divac? He was benched with three seconds to go in the third quarter and never returned, the decision having less to with his zero-of-four shooting and three rebounds in 22 minutes than Harris’ opinion.

“Vlade was not in the game,” Harris said. “I’m going to play guys who are putting the effort in.”

Van Exel? Referee’s opinion.

Not just any of the replacement officials during the lockout of the regular referees, but Leon Wood, the former NBA player and Cal State Fullerton star. If the two were not acquainted the last couple years, they are now.

Van Exel had missed all six of his shots with two assists and two turnovers in 32 minutes when his night ended with 7:04 remaining after a pair of rapid-fire technicals from Wood. Van Exel, concerned that things might be getting out of hand, said he told Wood that somebody might get hurt.

That was one.

Van Exel immediately became livid, shouting in Wood’s face.

That was two, but not all. Van Exel continued to try and shout at Wood, never pushing the official but insistent enough that a member of the opposition, Gary Payton, stepped in to urge calm to the Laker point guard.

“Horrible refs,” Van Exel said later. “Two inexperienced refs. It’s already hard enough with three experienced guys [before the lockout]. You just can’t see the whole court. The NBA needs to come up out their pockets.”

The inference being, of course, to settle the labor dispute with the locked-out union. Consider the message delivered to Commissioner David Stern, who just happened be in attendance as the SuperSonics re-opened their building after renovation.

Asked at halftime to critique the work of the substitute referees, Stern had said: “The quality of the officiating is not as complete as with our three-man regular crews. But I think it’s competent.”

The Lakers would disagree.