Harper Keeps Practice Serious

The Lakers were back on the practice floor Saturday morning, and no loafing was involved.

The compressed schedule--and 16-year veteran Derek Harper--allowed them almost no time to over-celebrate Friday’s victory over Houston.

“It’s back to business,” guard Eddie Jones said. “Derek Harper said last night after the game, he was like, ‘All right, you guys, we won this game. It’s over with. The horn sounded. And it’s time to get ready for Utah.’ He said it the best way possible.”

Today the Lakers play rival Utah--the most disciplined team in the Western Conference--then fly to San Antonio for the beginning of a three-game, four-night trip.

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Forward Robert Horry was due back in L.A. Saturday night, returning from Houston where he was with his wife, Keva, for the birth of their son, Robert Camron.

Horry is expected to be available for today’s game, but Coach Del Harris said that he probably wouldn’t start, meaning the starting forwards will remain Corie Blount and Kobe Bryant.

Rick Fox, last year’s starting small forward, remains sidelined because of sore feet and ankles, and the team said he has bone spurs in his right foot.

Because replacement foot pads probably won’t arrive until next week, Fox definitely won’t play today, and might be out for one or two more games beyond that.

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Harris said that his unusual deployment of two backup centers, Elden Campbell and Sean Rooks, at separate times against Rocket forward Charles Barkley was a matter of matching up against his power post game. “I know Sean and Elden maybe have been a little forgotten by some of the fans, but they both had, I felt, outstanding training camps,” Harris said. . . . Campbell sprained his right hand against the Rockets, but is expected to play today. . . . Nick Van Exel, the point guard traded by the Lakers in the off-season in part because of his disruptive attitude, on the Lakers’ pursuit of Dennis Rodman: “That lets people know that their talk is just talk,” said Van Exel, who will face the Lakers when they play in Denver on Wednesday. “I was there, I knew what goes on behind the scenes.”

TODAY

vs. Utah, 12:30

Channel 4

* Site--Great Western Forum.

* Radio--KLAC (570).

* Records--Lakers 1-0, Jazz 1-0.

* Record vs. Jazz (1997-98)--3-1.

* Update--The last time Utah was at the Forum, it was finishing a humiliating four-game sweep in the Western Conference finals. The Jazz went on to lose to the Bulls, and the Lakers went on to a soul-searching summer. The Laker players said they were eager for this nationally televised rematch. “Personally, I’m ready,” Jones said, “and I think everyone else on the team is ready.

* Tickets--Forum box office or TicketMaster, (213) 480-3232.