Lakers Can’t Hold Off Suns : Pro basketball: Van Exel gets tied up, Finley makes shot at buzzer and L.A. loses another one-pointer, 114-113.

Devastation came mixed with confusion this time, when Nick Van Exel didn’t know he could have called a timeout, Del Harris didn’t know what the referees were thinking and, most of all, the Lakers didn’t know what hit them.

Ultimately, it was Michael Finley’s pull-up jumper from the free-throw line at the buzzer, the final dagger in what became a shocking 114-113 victory for the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night at America West Arena and the Lakers’ third consecutive one-point loss, two of which came on last-second shots. That much is clear.

But unlike Tuesday’s heartbreaker to Portland on James Robinson’s three-pointer with 0:00 showing, and unlike Friday’s disaster against Sacramento that included the Lakers blowing a 16-point lead at the start of the third quarter, they had people to blame this time. The officials, with themselves apparently having to settle for runners-up.

This time, the Lakers led by 16 points with 10 minutes to play, by nine with 54 seconds left and even had a four-point cushion and the ball with 35 seconds remaining. If that wasn’t enough--and it quickly became apparent it wasn’t as Phoenix made four consecutive three-point shots down the stretch--they had possession, a one-point lead, a timeout at the ready if needed, the ball in the hands of their leader, and the Suns out of fouls, all as the clock wound down into single digits.

Van Exel figured that’s all he needed. After Charles Barkley made the last of the four three-pointers for the Suns with 19.8 seconds showing, Van Exel got the ball just past midcourt, ran into traffic, stopped near the right sideline and wrapped up the ball with his arms. He pivoted back and forth as defenders swiped at him, figuring one of them would give an intentional foul or that time would expire.

None did, according to the officials. Van Exel and Harris, his coach, disagreed.

The roof was only beginning to cave in on the Lakers, clinging to 113-112 edge. When Van Exel continued in motion instead of calling the timeout to get out of trouble, Barkley got his hand on the ball long enough for referee John Fullilove to call a jump ball.

“The only thing I can figure is the referee must have confused it with the college five-second rule,” Harris said.

“I had no idea we had a timeout,” Van Exel added. “There’s four other players on the court who could have called one.”

Harris: “He got penalized for being smart. He knew they would have to foul him. He just didn’t know they would need to foul him three or four times.”

Barkley: “That was a stupid play.”

And of the Lakers’ contention that he never had gained enough control to earn a jump?

“Oh, yeah, I did,” Barkley said. “I don’t care what they said. I did. He should have called timeout.”

It was too late. The 6-foot-5 Barkley and the 6-1 Van Exel moved to the circle at midcourt, with 6.7 seconds remaining. The Suns controlled as Barkley tipped the ball to A.C. Green, who shoveled ahead to Finley, the rookie small forward.

“Everybody had it in their mind if they got the ball they were going to make the game-winning shot,” Finley said. “I glanced at the clock and went to the basket.”

He got as far as the free-throw line before time became the ultimate concern.

“There wasn’t enough time to be nervous,” he said.

Just enough to stop and release. Swish.

The Suns partied, Barkley thanked the 19,023 in attendance for sticking around, and the Lakers mourned in their own ways. Van Exel, for one, screamed at Fullilove.

“A . . . call,” he said later. “Just like they’ve been making all year long.”

Eventually, all that remained was for the Lakers to contemplate three consecutive losses for the second time in the young season, all by one point, two on buzzer beaters and two while blowing big leads.

“It’s tough,” Vlade Divac said after the Lakers wasted 34 points by Cedric Ceballos, another good game against his former team. “You do your best and try to win the game. We almost did, and then somebody else takes it from you. It’s tough.”