O’Neal Scores 37, but 5-0 Start Not as Easy as It Looks

The good news for the Lakers is that they have plenty of practice at this walking wounded thing. Which, of course, is also the bad news.

Tuesday, the pains were piling up, first Corie Blount and then Nick Van Exel and then the biggest one of all, the Dallas Mavericks. This all came without Kobe Bryant even in town, so it was left to the Lakers to transform the end of their bench into part of the rotation, a patchwork job that tore open before they held on for a 118-96 victory before 13,722 at Reunion Arena as Shaquille O’Neal had 37 points and 12 rebounds.

If only the Lakers had more people along to celebrate the 5-0 start.

Their best opening in 10 years, and only the third such record since moving to Los Angeles, means the opponents are still dropping faster. It’s simply that the Lakers have suddenly gone to the up-tempo game.

Bryant, who sprained his right ankle Sunday, was home to receive treatment and hasn’t even started to run yet, which makes him doubtful for Thursday at San Antonio and probably Friday at Houston.

Blount, who sprained his right ankle Sunday, made the trip, but could get only as far as the light stuff of the afternoon shootaround. He did not dress for the game and remains day-to-day.

Van Exel, his chronic knee already a long-term issue, was forced to deal with back spasms Monday at practice. He received treatment before tipoff Tuesday, then made it until the end of the second quarter, leaving for good with 38 seconds left and in obvious pain. He is day-to-day.

So here stood the Lakers, undefeated and looking an awful lot like they did the second half of last season, wobbling more under the weight of themselves than the opposition. Even before losing Van Exel, Coach Del Harris was dipping deep, using 11th man Jon Barry and 12th man Mario Bennett . . . in a six-point game in the first quarter.

Mostly, it was left to Derek Fisher to pick up the slack in the second half. The only point guard with any experience available was Barry. After that: Eddie Jones.

Fisher played 21 of the 24 minutes in the second half, contributing six assists against two turnovers in that time. Prepared for the extended action because he started twice during the exhibition season while Van Exel nursed the bad knee, he went 27 minutes in all.

“I’m not surprised Derek performed so well,” Harris said. “Nevertheless, we had to have that performance from him.”

They needed it because the Mavericks, down as many as 23 points in the third quarter and still 20 with 10:30 remaining in the game, decided not to let the Lakers get away so easy, as if this night had been easy on them in the first place. A 14-2 charge got Dallas as close as 97-89 with 5:41 left, which was too close for the visitors.

“I don’t think we were really nervous,” said Fisher, who finished with 13 points, six assists and five rebounds. “We were just disappointed because we let that kind of thing happen too much last season.”

Added Harris, nervous enough for all of them: “We got just a little bit careless there. The Mavericks put a little bit of a scare in the ol’ coach.”

These still being the Mavericks, the 3-0 record now 3-3 while players grumble about the triangle offense, the Lakers were only briefly threatened. Dallas’ four possessions after getting within eight resulted in a missed three-pointer, two bad passes and an offensive foul.

O’Neal, his time restrictions having been lifted ahead of schedule, scored seven of his points in the fourth quarter as the Lakers turned the game back into a rout. He played 37 minutes, making 17 of 23 shots. He gets a day off before facing David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon within about 24 hours, both without the benefit of being at 100%.

“Hell no,” O’Neal said. “Not even close--89.22661%.”

It’s more than enough for the Lakers.