Lakers’ Rest Is History

In the 79th game of the season, with home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs secure and their chance to move up to No. 3 in the West slim at best, the Lakers on Tuesday night were cruising past a Dallas Maverick team that has already called it quits for the season. But there was Sedale Threatt playing 41 minutes, Elden Campbell 39 and Eddie Jones 38.

Now Del Harris really knows he can’t win for winning. The Lakers got another victory with the easy 113-95 decision before 17,502 at Reunion Arena, their 10th in 13 games, and the same coach who has been second-guessed for not playing some people enough now hears the criticism that he is playing some people too much.

He makes no apologies for either. The Lakers will not be downshifting as they cross the regular-season finish line Sunday.

“People say, ‘Will you give the key people a rest before the playoffs?’ ” Harris said. “No. But I stand corrected.”

Translation: Nick Van Exel and Magic Johnson got the night off because the NBA said so. But everyone else had serious work to do, with Threatt, Jones and Campbell all playing 10 of 12 minutes in the fourth quarter, during which the Laker lead reached 20 and never dipped below 13.

In truth, Johnson, trying to nurse along his tendinitis-plagued left Achilles’, is the only one for whom rest is critical. Threatt is the only other member of the rotation older than 30, and he’s averaging only about 20 minutes, even after going 30.5 in the four games since Van Exel was suspended. Otherwise, no Laker went into the game logging more than the 34 of Van Exel.

That wouldn’t even crack the top 40 in the league in minutes played. Harris, accused of not resting his players, rests his case.

“There’s not one guy out there dead-legged from playing huge minutes,” he said. “There just isn’t. Every guy would like to play more, I can tell you that.”

It’s just that it looks strange for anyone to approach the 40-minute mark by playing most of the fourth quarter in a rout with the playoffs approaching. And there is the matter of Threatt, in the all-important role as backup point guard once Van Exel gets back for Game 1 of the first round, risking a nagging injury by making such a dramatic jump in playing time instead of easing into it.

Tuesday night, it was the Mavericks who looked burned out, or at least looked like the off-season has already started. Content to launch three-point shots (they were only three for 25 beyond the arc) and not play much pressure defense in the seven minutes when Jones was at the point, they trailed by 15 points in the first quarter, started to make it respectable midway through the second, then checked out for good not long after halftime.

The extra time gave Campbell a chance to make a run at a triple-double, before he settled for 18 points, nine rebounds and a career-high nine assists, the latter five more than any other Laker. Cedric Ceballos added 23 points, Jones 22.

“The guys played very well,” Harris said. “They got a little careless with the lead at times. Other than that, it was a nice effort. It’s nice to win on the road without Magic, without Nick and without Vlade. Get it?”

Got it. Divac was a no-show of a different variety, picking up five fouls in 25 minutes.

“We’re counting on Vlade to join us later on in the Texas trip,” Harris said.

That would be Thursday in San Antonio. The next workday.

Laker Notes

Looking to add some veteran experience for the playoffs and another small forward to compensate for the temporary loss of Magic Johnson, the Lakers activated Fred Roberts and sent Pig Miller to the injured list because of tendinitis in the right knee. Coach Del Harris had previously considered this move for his postseason roster that needs to be submitted Monday, but Tuesday was noncommittal as to whether this would be his final unit. The Roberts/Miller slot is for the 12th man, so it’s not a major decision either way, perhaps most significant in that Miller, who becomes a free agent July 1, may have played his final game as a Laker. . . . Harris, on Johnson feeling worse all the time about his three-game suspension: “I saw his HIV announcement, I saw his two retirement announcements. And he was more distraught by this externally.” . . . Lost in the excitement Sunday afternoon of Johnson’s ejection and a close victory over Phoenix was Harris reaching the 50-victory plateau for the first time in his 10 full seasons as an NBA coach. “Like Elden [Campbell] said, ‘What took you so long?’ ” he said.