This Show Is a Flop on Road : Lakers: After losing to Jazz, 108-98, to complete sweep of three-game trip, they hope to get back to normal lineup.

The Lakers are 1-3 after a 108-98 loss to the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night at the Delta Center, just finished an 0-3 trip, have tied a team record by losing eight in a row away from the Forum in the regular season dating back to last season, still haven’t scored 100 points and have more turnovers (74) than assists (73).

No wonder the names have been changed to protect the innocent and the guilty.

The part of George Lynch, at 31.8% from the field as the starting small forward the first three games, was played by Fred Roberts, third string there under normal circumstances. Roberts, playing in front of his hometown fans, made six of nine shots and scored 12 points, and Lynch did not play in front of anyone.

Anthony Peeler made four of seven three-point attempts en route to 15 points off the bench, enough to probably earn him a promotion from understudy to Cedric Ceballos’ replacement at shooting guard. Ceballos, of course, was the replacement for the injured Peeler, who was the replacement for the injured Eddie Jones.

Ceballos, probably starting at guard for the last time, had 26 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals. By Friday, he should finally return to the spot that earned him an all-star invitation last season, small forward.

By Friday, when the Seattle SuperSonics come to the Forum, the Lakers should also receive their first boost of the week-old season. A normal lineup. Thanks, they needed that.

“I think everybody is going to come back and play hard,” Peeler said. “Especially after this.”

“This” is the three-game trip, not simply Wednesday. Peeler’s showing against the Jazz was the key, because he proved he could handle big minutes again after sitting out the first two games because of a strained shoulder and coming off the bench the night before at Minnesota.

If Peeler can start, Ceballos can return to his best position. If Ceballos can return, the Lakers, though still missing Jones, won’t have a patchwork lineup for the first time.

“I thought Anthony was very good tonight,” Coach Del Harris said. “He may have gotten tired because he didn’t play any minutes the first three weeks. But he was terrific. I think he’ll probably start Friday night.”

Said Ceballos: “I’ll be happy to see the three spot again. And it’ll be good to see Anthony back.”

The Lakers were happy enough to see him against the Jazz, with all four of the three-pointers coming in the first half. Van Exel took over in the third quarter, going three of four from behind the arc for 11 points, the key to an eight-point lead with 3:30 remaining.

It lasted 3:27. The Jazz, led by Karl Malone’s 33 points and 12 rebounds, earned an 82-82 tie in the closing seconds of the quarter, then started to pull away.

Utah’s lead was six points with 8:22 left, then again with 1:15 to play. The Lakers would have been in the game, except for one thing. They had stopped scoring.

Their last basket was Sedale Threatt’s three-pointer with 4:49 remaining. That was followed by two free throws by Van Exel--and eight lost possessions, four ending with turnovers.

“We played a good game tonight,” Harris said. “I was very satisfied with the players’ efforts and everything they did. I thought they did a good job. The best game of the year.”

Just not good enough.

“We’re 1-3 and we don’t like it,” he continued. “That’s all. We want to win ballgames. There’s no reason to make any excuses.”

Laker Notes

A night after spending about two hours in a Minneapolis hospital to guard against a possible concussion, Sedale Threatt played 17 minutes against the Jazz. He said his head, neck and back were still sore from a nasty fall against the Timberwolves, but doctors said those were the most serious problems. “I know what happened, but I don’t really remember it,” Threatt said of the injury that came after he collided with Minnesota’s Sam Mitchell just after a twisting layup. “I don’t really even remember the game.”