Threatt, Johnson Make a Good Point Without Van Exel

By SCOTT HOWARD-COOPER

April 11, 1996 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

MINNEAPOLIS —

Faced with a potentially critical situation at point guard after the suspension of Nick Van Exel earlier Wednesday, the Lakers turned to the bench for replacements and found Sedale Threatt and a guy named Magic Johnson, who once had a fair amount of success there, staring back. Yeah, a real panic situation.

Somehow, they figured out how to run an offense. For openers, they were anything but beginners, Threatt getting the start and then 20 points and eight assists in a season-high 41 minutes and Johnson playing his first extended stretch there since his return in a 111-90 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves that also included 28 points from Elden Campbell.

Caretakers, indeed.

Threatt, 34 and nearing the end of his 13th season, came in averaging 19 minutes a game, about five less than last season. Even while joining several other Lakers in making a big contribution off the bench of late, he had still been at 19.7 the previous three outings.

Then came Wednesday. The 41 minutes of action at Target Center were four more than any other game, and he made all four three-point attempts and was eight for 12 overall. Threatt even had three steals while playing much of the time against the quicker Spud Webb, a longtime rival.

“To be honest with you, it’s easy for me,” he said later, after dedicating the victory to Van Exel. “I’m still a young man. They’re going to put me in real top shape, basically. That’s how I look at it.”

Del Harris looks at it another way.

“Sedale is just a tremendous competitor,” the Laker coach said. “We’re so fortunate to have such quality point guards on our ballclub. I’ve said so many times before, the four guards the Lakers have are arguably the best four guards in the league as a group. Other teams may want to throw up their backcourt, but we’ll cast our vote on our four guys. And if we lose that argument at four, we’ll take it right down to five.”

That would be Johnson, who had played mostly at point forward the first 28 games back but only very rare and brief appearances as the point guard. Against the Timberwolves--OK, so it was the Timberwolves--he played seven of the 28 minutes at the position he revolutionized. The result was 11 assists, 10 rebounds and six points.

“I liked it,” he said. “I’m a control freak. I like to control the game, control the situation. I did that tonight.

“This is a job where Sedale is going to start off and I’m going run in there when he comes out. Then in the third quarter, I have to decide where I’m needed the most, on the ball or inside.”

For a while, it looked as if all the Lakers would be needed to get past a team headed to the lottery. The Timberwolves trailed by only five points with 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

But that’s as good as it got for the locals. They quickly fall behind by 19 points later in the period, got back to within eight with 9:49 left in the game, and were shown the door for good when Anthony Peeler responded with back-to-back three-point baskets.

“I talked about the importance of responding positively and the guys were unquestionably able to do that,” Harris said. “I thought we played a nice game.”

Laker Notes

The Lakers could make a roster move as soon as today to replace Nick Van Exel, either by activating Fred Roberts or Frankie King from the injured list or by dipping into the CBA. If they stay at home, Roberts, the 12th-year veteran, is the best bet because he is experienced enough not to get rattled in a big game with playoff implications and plays small forward, which could become important with Magic Johnson having his time reduced. Plus, it could be something of a test drive before Coach Del Harris decides whether to add Roberts to the postseason roster in place of 12th man Pig Miller. King, the rookie guard, has played only 20 minutes this season.

The Lakers’ chances of catching Utah for No. 3 in the West, and a first-round meeting with Portland or Phoenix instead of Houston, have gone from outside to practically nonexistent. They are 3 1/2 games behind the Jazz with six to play, just as Utah enters this stretch: at the Clippers, at Golden State, vs. Clippers, at Vancouver. Meanwhile, the Lakers’ magic number to clinch the No. 4 spot and home-court advantage against the Rockets is three. . . . Isaiah Rider led the Timberwolves with 28 points.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Magic Marker

Tracking Magic Johnson’s comeback

WEDNESDAY’S GAME

*--*

Min. FG FT Pts. Reb. Ast. 28 2-5 (.400) 2-2 (1.000) 6 10 11

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SEASON AVERAGES

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Min. FG% FT% Pts. Reb. Ast. 30.7 .467 .868 15.3 6.1 6.9

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CAREER AVERAGES