Kersey Provides Highlight Film With His Defense

Shaquille O’Neal had 29 points and 21 rebounds, the 16th 20-20 of his career and the first as a Laker. Eddie Jones had 24 points and four steals. Nick Van Exel had 14 points and nine assists against one turnover.

And the guy playing at about 90%, the guy playing power forward at 6 feet 7, won the game for the Lakers on Friday night.

“Shaquille and Eddie were outstanding,” Coach Del Harris said after the 96-86 victory over the San Antonio Spurs before 17,505 at the Forum. “The key to the game, though, was Jerome Kersey.”

This is the same Kersey still working his way back from about three weeks on the shelf because of a broken left foot, a return now four games old and gaining momentum all the time. The first three he averaged 8.3 points, five rebounds and 56.3% in 18.7 minutes, then he did it with defense against the Spurs.

Not only the six steals, tying a career high, but by giving Harris someone to put on Dominique Wilkins, another undersized power forward. The Lakers didn’t have the option in the first meeting of the season and Wilkins went wild. The first half of the rematch, too quick for Elden Campbell, he had 13 points and seven rebounds.

Kersey was put on him in the third quarter. Wilkins got one shot and no rebounds in 11 minutes, Kersey got six points and two rebounds, and the Lakers took control and held off a Spur team that played without David Robinson and Sean Elliott.

“I just try to go in and work hard,” said Kersey, who finished with 13 points and four rebounds in 32 minutes. “It’s like the more I work hard in games and practices, the quicker I get back.”

Back even more, that is.

The Spurs have steered clear of putting any timeline on Robinson’s return, at least publicly, but he had been hopeful of playing sometime on the three-game trip that started Friday. So even as he tried to put a positive spin on the latest medical bulletin, it had to be a disappointment: The all-star center will probably sit out two more weeks and maybe as long as a month.

This was determined in a visit to back specialist Dr. Robert Watkins at the Kerlan-Jobe Clinic. Coach Bob Hill went along to get the update. And General Manager Gregg Popovich. And trainer John Andersen. And strength coach Mike Brungardt. This was only the foundation of the franchise, after all.

The Spurs have been so devastated by injuries--key frontcourt players Robinson, Will Perdue, Chuck Person and Charles Smith have all sat out extended stretches and point guard Avery Johnson is the only starter to play all 11--that they had gone from averaging 103.4 points last season to 81.9 in 1996-97 before Friday. That’s when Elliott’s number came up--he sat out, for the first time, because of tendinitis in the right quadriceps, forcing Hill to start 6-foot-4 Vernon Maxwell at small forward, with 6-8 Wilkins at power forward and 7-footer Perdue at center.

There’s no reason to ask what next. Not anymore.

“I had that attitude a long time ago,” Hill said. “Coming back from a trip, I don’t remember exactly when, I think even back in the preseason. We went to our practice facility and the baskets at both ends wouldn’t go down, so we had to play cross-court. That’s when it started.”

Of course, there have been the bright spots. Such as seeing the Lakers.

Nine days earlier, they met in San Antonio, and the Spurs were without Robinson, Person, Perdue, Smith and starting shooting guard Vinny Del Negro and had Greg Anderson playing hurt. And then they won by 12.

Friday, the Lakers tried to match up--Kobe Bryant, just about at 100% after battling through a deep thigh bruise the previous few games, was sent home with flu. Still not good enough. The Spurs went ahead by six points late in the first quarter before falling behind, but even in the wounded state trailed only 44-41 at halftime.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

A Season of Expectations

The Lakers acquired nine new players this season, including Shaquille O’Neal and his $120-million contract. In turn, with big acquisitions come big expectations. Throughout the season, The Times will monitor O’Neal’s numbers along with how the team compares to some of the best Laker teams in history.

GAME 13 OF 82

* Record 9-4

* Standing 2nd place

Pacific Division

1996-97 LAKERS VS. THE BEST LAKER TEAMS

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Year Gm. 13 Overall 1987-88 10-3 62-20 1986-87 11-2 65-17 1984-85 8-5 62-20 1979-80 9-4 60-22 1971-72 10-3 69-13

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Note: The five teams above all won NBA championships

THE SHAQ SCOREBOARD

Basketball Numbers

* Friday’s Game:

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Min FG FT Reb Blk Pts 38 13-19 3-10 21 2 29

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* 1996-97 Season Averages:

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Min FG% FT% Reb Blk Pts 38.9 .602 .477 13.3 2.5 25.3

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* 1995-96 Season Averages:

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Min FG% FT% Reb Blk Pts 36.0 .573 .487 11.0 2.1 26.6

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Money Numbers

* Friday’s Salary$130,658.53

* Season Totals $1,898,560.89

* FACTOID: In the 13th game of the 1979-80 season, Jo Jo White scored 18 points and the Lakers lost to Golden State, 126-109. It was the final game for Laker Coach Jack McKinney. One day later he suffered a severe head injury in a bicycle accident near his home in Rancho Palos Verdes. He was replaced by assistant coach Paul Westhead.