Rebounding Dominance Begs an Explanation

A recent surge on the boards has been a factor in the Lakers’ winning four in a row, 10 of 11 and 13 of 16.

Led by Robert Horry and Shaquille O’Neal, and with a contribution off the bench from Elden Campbell, the Lakers, who ranked 18th in the league before Tuesday’s games, have outrebounded each of their last nine opponents and 18 of their last 21. They have grabbed an average of six more rebounds a game in those 21, after a deficit of 2.4 a game before that.

“Probably as good an explanation as any is momentum,” Coach Del Harris said. “We had a couple successful rebounding games, talked it up, put a focus on it, and have been talking it up ever since. Sometimes you become who you think you are.

“It’s important that we do a good rebounding job since we’re not pressuring the ball as much, so we don’t get as many steals. . . . By doing less risk-taking, you tend to end up in a little better position to rebound. I suppose the decrease in the number of traps, the number of presses probably has helped our position in rebounding.”

Horry was averaging 10.6 rebounds in the seven games before Monday’s, when he was kneed in the groin and played only 23 minutes. O’Neal is averaging 11.9 the last nine outings, Campbell 6.1 in only 20.6 minutes while backing up both.

Said Harris, whose Lakers are 32-8 when winning the battle of the boards and 17-11 when they don’t: “It’s not a matter of coaching. It’s just a matter of emphasis. All I do is keep on begging.”

*

O’Neal had 24 points and nine rebounds Monday at Denver. That wasn’t strange. Strange was that it came in his first regular-season game there as a Laker.

His only appearance of any kind in McNichols Arena was during an Oct. 21 exhibition contest and even that wasn’t much of an appearance--he aggravated the strained abdominal muscle and played only four minutes. It was on the day of a Laker game in Denver last season that O’Neal learned the severity of the knee injury that eventually sidelined him for 28 games.

That cost him that contest and the one that came about a month later. He missed the first visit of 1997-98, Dec. 3, because of the abdominal strain.

But maybe his luck is changing. The first actual appearance, discounting the exhibition contest, came on the same day he was named NBA player of the week for the eighth time in his career.

Tonight vs. Sacramento

* 7:30

* Fox Sports West

Site--Great Western Forum.

Radio--KLAC (570), KWKW (1330).

Records--Lakers 49-19, Kings 26-44.

Record vs. Kings--3-0.

Update--Mitch Richmond is questionable because of the sore right knee that already has cost him the last two games, including Sunday’s 96-93 Laker victory in Sacramento. That is part of the Kings’ eight-game losing streak. Another defeat tonight gives the Lakers an eight-game winning streak at home, tying their best run of the season.