Divac Answers All Questions : Lakers: Despite sprained ankle, he has 19 points and 10 rebounds in 102-99 victory over Trail Blazers.

Here stand the victorious Lakers, sort of. Vlade Divac, he limps. Anthony Peeler merely winces while walking in bare feet.

So why is it that the opponents are suddenly in so much pain? Sacramento was dismantled Friday night and then the Portland Trail Blazers got theirs Saturday at the Rose Garden, a 102-99 loss to the Lakers and their walking wounded.

Divac, questionable all day after suffering a sprained ankle in the victory over the Kings at the Forum, played and then some. He went 37 minutes and contributed 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Peeler, still not at 100% eight games after being sidelined for a week because of a sore foot, had 19 points off the bench, 14 in the fourth quarter as the Lakers broke a six-game losing streak in Portland before 21,401. This came a night after he scored 18 against the Kings.

“It’s been hard for me to put two nights of good play together back to back,” Peeler said. “That’s what I was trying to focus on tonight, playing well the second night.”

It has been hard for Divac to be healthy two nights in a row. His list of relatively minor injuries and ailments continues to grow, but so do his accomplishments in a season filled with inconsistency.

Saturday will be one for him to savor. Not merely reaching double figures in rebounds after having failed to get at least five in four of the previous nine outings, but to do it against one of the league’s best teams on the boards while limited physically.

“When I got warmed up, it felt good,” Divac said. “This morning when I woke up, I couldn’t walk. It was a surprise to me that I even played. Big thanks to our friend [trainer] Gary Vitti.”

Said Coach Del Harris: “It’s his game ball, no question. But he had some help.”

Starting with Peeler. And from Cedric Ceballos too, with 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Elden Campbell, with four blocked shots a night after he had six.

The Lakers actually started preparing for this game while beating Sacramento. That was apparent in the second half at the Forum as they were holding the Kings to a season low in points--Harris stayed with the opening lineup through most of the third quarter to push a 20-point lead even more out of reach, then sat the starters the entire fourth quarter to rest them for Portland.

So it goes for a team that Saturday night played its 13th game in 10 cities over 21 days, with five back-to-backs, a stretch made even more challenging because of injuries. Several belonged to Divac--sore knee, flu, bad cold--and this time it was the sprained ankle, suffered the night before when he collided with a TV cameraman under the basket after finishing a layup just before halftime.

Divac got up and struggled to the locker room for intermission, but returned to play nine of 12 minutes in the third quarter before getting the final period off. A few hours later, though, he was hobbling off the airplane after the charter flight from Los Angeles to Portland.

By Saturday, there was a question whether he would play against the Trail Blazers, as late as 45 minutes before tipoff. Then, Divac turned up in the starting lineup again and ultimately, of all places, in the hero’s role.

“I get mail and calls from fans saying, ‘Why don’t you get something for him.’ ‘He’s lazy.’ People have no idea who Vlade Divac is,” Harris said. “The guy has a heart as big as he is.”

Divac’s presence became especially important in the second half, when Corie Blount, the top reserve big man, fouled out with 53 seconds left in the third quarter. His contribution became more concrete about five minutes later, when he made two free throws followed by a baseline jumper that provided an eight-point lead with 7:14 left.

Peeler made a three-point shot with 4:03 left, then fed Divac for a layup. Finally, Divac’s free throw with 25 seconds to go made it 101-94 and sealed the victory.

“That was probably our guttiest win of the year, and certainly one of our best if not the best,” Harris said.