Life Gets Tougher for the Lakers

They keep losing bodies and games at about the same rate, neither of which is an encouraging sign, but the Lakers aren’t getting too defensive over their mounting problems, such is their concern offset by confidence. This is also part of their problem.

They aren’t getting defensive about much of anything anymore. The team that was yielding 99.2 points a game at the All-Star break is at 102.6 in the five outings since and got hit big again Wednesday night, resulting in a 110-103 loss to the Phoenix Suns before 19,023 at America West Arena and a new concern.

The same Phoenix Suns.

Once left to concentrate solely on first place in the Pacific Division, whether maintaining a lead or closing a slim gap on the Seattle SuperSonics, the Lakers are now forced to consider the possibility of third place. It’s just half a game away after the charging Suns won for the eighth time in 10 outings, getting 26 points from Rex Chapman and 25 from Clifford Robinson, while Seattle was beating the Portland Trail Blazers.

“Concerned but not panicked,” Derek Fisher, who subbed for late scratch Nick Van Exel, said of the Laker mood.

On second thought . . .

“Really, really concerned,” Fisher said, “but not to the point where we’re looking for answers from other sources.”

Because the Lakers know all the answers. Awareness is not the problem.

They know about stretches devoid of intensity.

They know about the injuries. Wednesday, Van Exel did not dress because of the clicking in his right knee, not to be confused with the persistent soreness in his left knee, so Fisher played a career-high 44 minutes. Robert Horry, meanwhile, lasted 1:54 before pulling himself out and played nine minutes in all because the dilated vein near the groin flared again.

And, oh, do they know about the defense. Such as it is.

“We really have let our defense slip, I think, the last two or three weeks,” Coach Del Harris said. “Talking, communicating out there with one another. We have got to accept that what it takes to stay at the top is defense first and offense second.”

Added Eddie Jones, who had 20 points in his first truly healthy appearance since before the All-Star break, when he picked up flu and then a sinus infection: “Look at the shooting percentages we’re giving guys every night. We’re letting in a lot of easy baskets. That’s not our typical defense we started the season with. I think the thing we need to do is take more pride.

“We’re not moving our feet well. We’re not communicating. We’re not finding people. It’s everything. When it comes to defense, we’re not doing anything.

“I think if we would have just played any type of defense, we’re 5-0 since the break. All those games were close. A couple shots here, a couple shots there, a little defense, and we would have been OK.”

Instead, they’re 1-4 and it hasn’t always been the percentages--the Rockets went 36.6% on Sunday and won--but it’s usually been something in that area. The Trail Blazers, for example, had two 30-point quarters in the first game back. Another time, the SuperSonics scored 16 points in only five minutes of overtime to win.

Wednesday, the Lakers not only quickly lost a nine-point lead from early in the third quarter, but needed a little less than six minutes to have that become a nine-point deficit. Come the fourth quarter, they were up again, 84-82, with 9:39 left and already in the bonus.

Next thing they knew, that lead was gone.

The Suns went on an 18-5 run, capped by Chapman’s three-pointer with 5:01 remaining. The Lakers recovered enough to cut the deficit to 102-100 with 1:48 showing, but Chapman struck again, coming down the left side, Jones close on defense, and floating up a one-handed runner. That made it a four-point game, a cushion that grew to an insurmountable 106-101 after Elden Campbell made one free throw for the Lakers and Antonio McDyess dunked for Phoenix after Chapman broke down the defense by penetrating into the lane.

“When he’s hitting wrong-legged, behind-the-backboard, off-one-leg shots,” Shaquille O’Neal said, “they’re hitting shots.”

The Suns were making 13 of 23 (56.5%) in the fourth quarter, to be exact.

“I wish I could say that we’ve just got to play harder or something like that,” Fisher said. “I wish it was that simple. But I don’t think anybody on our team is not trying as hard as we can.

“We know we can do it. We will get it done. That’s one thing I know--getting this thing turned around. Getting this thing better.”