Lakers Add Insult to Foe’s Injuries

The Lakers picked on someone their own size Thursday night, getting a team also without two injured starters and coming off a pasting, and then reaching for a handful of salt.

The Cleveland Cavaliers had enough open wounds to choose from--Terrell Brandon’s bruised tailbone, Chris Mills’ sinus infection, the 18-point loss the night before at Charlotte--and the Lakers weren’t showing much sympathy. Or as Eddie Jones said: “It’s nice to take advantage of another team that has a few injuries.”

They did that with an 89-76 victory over the Cavaliers before 18,818 at Gund Arena, getting to avenge the 103-84 loss to Cleveland a month and a day earlier at the Forum in the first game without both Shaquille O’Neal and Robert Horry, and so much more.

It gave the Lakers a three-game winning streak for the first time since Feb. 5-13.

It was their first victory over a team that would be in the playoffs if the postseason started today since O’Neal suffered his serious knee injury Feb. 12.

It ended a seven-game losing streak in Cleveland, a skid that stretched to Dec. 13, 1988, and through two buildings and four L.A. coaches.

“I even lost an all-star game here,” Jones said.

That was Feb. 9, when Jones and the Western Conference lost to the East. One game later, the Lakers’ troubles started, with O’Neal going down in the first quarter at Minnesota.

They haven’t really stopped, but this was a nice switch. Maybe because it came against a team that had inflicted so much, maybe because it was here. Or maybe just because.

“It was big no matter who they are,” Nick Van Exel said after getting 22 points, seven assists and, for the second game in a row, six three-point baskets.

Added Corie Blount, who had 10 points and 12 rebounds for his fourth double-double in five games: “I wouldn’t care if we beat . . . who’s the worst team in the league?”

Vancouver.

“If we beat Vancouver. That’s an accomplishment. A win is a win.”

Van Exel is among those who downplay the significance of said win coming against a likely playoff team, noting, correctly, that the wounded Lakers have proven capable of playing with the elite, if not ultimately beating them. Thus, the double-overtime loss to New York, the four-point defeat at Houston.

But there is no denying the trend. The eight previous post-O’Neal victories--since his second knee injury and not counting the victory over Chicago before his brief return--were against Denver, Vancouver, Washington, Dallas, New Jersey, Golden State, Toronto and Denver again. The Warriors have a shot at the playoffs, the Bullets a bit of one.

Only the Cavaliers are in as of today, though, albeit as No. 8 in the Eastern Conference, but still 4 1/2 games ahead of the Bullets. The chance for Washington to close ground Thursday ended with a loss at Houston.

The Lakers did their part, avoiding the slowdown game and dictating the tempo most of the first half while taking a 10-point lead in the opening quarter. It was gone by midway through the second period, but they never trailed and eventually built a 39-33 cushion by halftime.

Having tried to put some of the load on the bench as the Lakers began a stretch of four games in five days, with a tough end to the back-to-back coming at Miami tonight, Coach Del Harris mostly regretted it. So only one reserve played double-digit minutes in the second half, Byron Scott with 14.

Scott was mostly used in a three-guard alignment because Harris was staying with his starting backcourt. No wonder. Jones had a stretch in the third quarter when he scored 11 consecutive points and ended with 16 of his team-high 25 points after intermission. Van Exel got 16 of his 22 at the same time, and he also tied his season high by finishing with four steals.