Fisher Delivers in Nick of Time Against Spurs

A couple of weeks ago, this might have been something along the lines of a surprise party for Shaquille O’Neal, or at least an unexpected gift, this offering from Derek Fisher.

By now, though, it has become more commonplace and less cause for grand celebration. So it came again Friday night, when O’Neal celebrated his 26th birthday with a 23 points and a postgame cake. Fisher brought the noisemakers, leading the Lakers to a 91-84 victory over the San Antonio Spurs before a capacity 17,505 at the Great Western Forum.

No need to ask what game they played at the party.

Go Fish.

The second-year point guard, in his 10th start in place of the injured Nick Van Exel, had 17 points, five assists, five rebounds and four steals, the latter tying a career high. But more significantly, he scored 13 of the points in the fourth quarter. He connected on a key three-pointer that provided a 78-73 cushion with 3:38 to play and then made three of four free throws in the final 28.4 seconds to seal the victory.

“Derek was just so heads-up tonight in everything he did,” Coach Del Harris said. “He took shots at the right time and made them, got the ball where it needed to be, defended.”

Nothing has marked his solid play in place of Van Exel like the shooting. Normally unspectacular there, sometimes worse, and at only 44.4% even with the recent surge, Fisher is at 53.4% in the 10 games. The Lakers are 6-4 in that time, having just recorded a second consecutive win, both over teams that could go far in the playoffs.

“Mental,” he said. “Really, all mental. I’ve always had confidence in my shot and being able to knock it down. But sometimes it’s so hard coming off the bench. You try to make so many things happen in five or six minutes.”

The Lakers didn’t know until shortly before game time that they would have the services of Elden Campbell, who suffered a cervical strain Wednesday against Indiana, though he returned and played through it, and then sat out practice Thursday. His availability Friday was more significant than usual, given that the opponent had a pair of formidable 7-footers, David Robinson and Tim Duncan.

“It’s huge,” Harris said of having Campbell. “He’s been playing well, No. 1, and he’s been playing particularly well against teams that have big power forwards. It’s an absolute necessity.”

Or so it seemed. Robinson got his first foul on the second Laker possession of the night, his second about 3 1/2 minutes later, making for an early exit. Duncan, who came in having averaged 27.3 points and 14 rebounds the previous 10 games and having led the Spurs in scoring each of the 12 contests before Friday, got his first personal with 6:40 remaining in the opener and his second the next time the Lakers came downcourt. Only 6:03 in, both were seated.

In the second-biggest relief of the week for Harris, he got to worry about Will Perdue and Carl Herrera instead of a pair of all-stars. And he got to worry even less when Robinson got his third foul with 4:06 left in the second quarter, limiting the Spur center to only eight minutes in the first half while the Spur power forward lasted 13.

After failing to take advantage early, trailing by a point after the opening quarter, the Lakers then capitalized enough to build a 44-36 lead at intermission, San Antonio having been done in as much by turnovers (11) and poor shooting (36.6%) as fouls. And there were residual effects for the hosts--O’Neal didn’t have a full-time dose of Robinson while playing with an ingrown nail on his left big toe that brought considerable pain, an nagging problem he has had since joining the Lakers but that flared anew the day before.

Still, O’Neal played 22 of the 24 first-half minutes. Campbell went 14, at center and power forward, making four of six shots, a good start to another solid showing against the Spurs, after going five of seven in the first meeting of the season and getting 21 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in the second while starting for the injured O’Neal.

Corie Blount, another Laker big man, just sat a lot. On the other hand, at least he was used to it, as if that provided some comfort. The game before, against Indiana, he fouled out in eight minutes, two shy of the quickest disqualification in club history, set by Jim Barnes on Dec. 2, 1966.

“I had three fouls,” Blount said. “I know I did. The other three were ridiculous.”

He got no fouls against the Spurs. But then, he got no minutes.