Lakers Climb on Stare

ATLANTA — The Lakers moved deeper in the minefield Friday night with their usual amount of delicacy, which is to say, none at all, stomping as they went in a 98-96 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

They jumped on what so far has been the best team in the Eastern Conference, building a double-digit lead before halftime. They pressured the ball and forced a veteran club into costly turnovers.

Then they went for the stare-down. Nick Van Exel, giving away 13 inches in height but refusing to give away anything in reality, stood at the line with two-tenths of a second left, facing away from the basket, going for the psych job on 7-foot-2 Dikembe Mutombo, refusing to budge as the Atlanta center stood near the top of the three-point circle and prepared for the free throws that would determine the longevity of the game. Two makes would force overtime.

The two misses that came instead were the difference in the Lakers’ well-earned victory before 25,288 in the Georgia Dome, a win that came with the team-high 19 points from Kobe Bryant that were far more meaningful than his recent 30-point games.

The Lakers could not get revenge for their 21-point two days before in Chicago, but this wasn’t a bad second choice. The Hawks, after all, came in four games ahead of the defending world champions in the Central Division and were winners of four in a row and seven of their last 10. They had just beaten the Portland Trail Blazers and the Cleveland Cavaliers before the Lakers came to town.

“That is a big-time win,” Coach Del Harris said. “People [fans] had lost a little hope on the Chicago game; hopefully, they can take heart with this one.”

Added Eddie Jones: “After playing the way we played in Chicago, we knew we had to come in and gain some type of confidence going into another game on the road. Once you lose that first one, it’s easy to give up.

“Then you really put yourself in a hole on the road trip. We wanted to come in and play hard, and that’s what we did. We came out right at the start and just went to work.”

He wasn’t kidding--the Lakers shot 71.4% in the first quarter. By the time the fourth came around, when Bryant scored nine of his 19 points and Elden Campbell came alive after being challenged by Harris during a timeout with 6:05 remaining, the Lakers led, 98-93, with 1:16 left. A three-point shot by Mookie Blaylock made it 98-96 with 38 seconds left. And when the visitors failed to score on their next possession, the Hawks called timeout with 15.3 showing.

They had numerous options for the last shot. Steve Smith already had 25 points, though he had also missed 18 of 28 shots. Christian Laettner had made six of 11 shots, his struggles on offense coming by having committed seven of the 16 turnovers. Blaylock was nearing a triple-double, with 12 points, nine assists and nine rebounds. Mutombo had made all six tries from the field.

The Hawks went with Smith. He got off a three-point shot from the right side with about three seconds left, but a charging Campbell got a piece of it, leaving the ball a couple feet short of the basket. Mutombo grabbed it and was fouled as he tried to go back up.

That sent him to the line with 0.2 remaining. That sent Van Exel to work.

“I just told him, ‘These are some pressure free throws coming up, big fella,’ ” Van Exel said.

When Mutombo, 69.6% from the line coming in, missed the first, victory for the Lakers was secure. He also missed the second, without enough time for the Hawks to get the offensive rebound.

“I just didn’t shoot my free throws well today,” Mutombo said after the Hawks’ 12-of-21 performance at the line, insisting that Van Exel’s mind games had little bearing. “I was two for six before that. I just couldn’t get a rhythm.”

That, of course, was OK by the Lakers. They figure they have enough for everyone--again.