Lakers’ Fisher Takes Turn for Better in Win

Whatever the imperfections of this game--and there were a few--two glowing sights were enough to make this the Lakers’ happiest performance of the season:

Shaquille O’Neal, resting through his second straight fourth quarter with the game in hand.

And Derek Fisher, shaking off what his coach called his “worst four minutes” of play and guiding the Lakers to a breezy 101-88 victory over the overmatched Dallas Mavericks before 13,492 on Wednesday at the Great Western Forum.

“I know I came out there and looked like I was in third grade, and like I was trying to play with a bunch of men,” said Fisher, the third-year point guard who has had his ups and downs in his first full season as a starter.

“I had to tell myself that I belong here--that I shouldn’t hold back. I’m so concerned sometimes with keeping everybody else happy, I lose myself. I have to remember that when I’m aggressive, it helps the team.”

After committing two turnovers and getting a quick yank from Coach Del Harris in the opening minutes, Fisher was sent back out later in the first quarter and came back strong, finishing with 12 points, six assists and five rebounds--and committed only one more turnover.

With Fisher at the helm of the Laker fastbreak, the Lakers went into hyper-drive in the third quarter, and left the Mavericks sputtering in their wake before Dallas sliced the lead with a too-late rally at the end of the fourth.

“It was unusual,” Harris said of Fisher’s outing. “I thought he played his best and worst. It’s a credit to him that he had a nice ballgame, because so many times a guy starts off poorly and that game’s down the drain.”

For every minute that he was out there, O’Neal owned the lane, scoring 24 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in 28 minutes of action.

But, for most of Wednesday’s game, the main vision was a blur of gold and purple against the backdrop of a duller shade of Maverick blue, as the Lakers (5-3) gunned the engine for their freest and most foot-loose performance of the season.

The comfortable victory was the second in two nights for the Lakers, who handled the Charlotte Hornets in a similar fashion on Tuesday and, along with every other team in the league, treasure a chance to limit their starters’ minutes.

“We played teams that are not going to be playoff teams, so it’s a little different than what we started off against,” Harris said. “But you still need to be able to go out there and get a running game going.

“For our guys, it’s important for them to see how fun it is to get running.”

Kobe Bryant scored 23 points and had nine rebounds and four assists, and Eddie Jones had 20 points with three assists.

After trailing by 20 or more for most of the second half, the Mavericks rallied against the Laker reserves, closing to within a dozen, 96-84, with 3:13 left to play.

But Harris got Bryant and Rick Fox back into the game and the outcome never was in doubt.

“We did some really good things for three quarters, and then we kind of played fat-cat ball in the last quarter,” Harris said.

For the second consecutive night, the Laker fastbreak revved up in the second quarter, with Jones, Bryant and Fisher flying up and down the floor and finishing with a flourish.

After a relatively quiet first quarter, the Lakers went on a six-minute tear in the second, extending a five-point lead to as much as 19 after a 16-3 burst brought the score to 52-33 with 2:27 left in the half.

The Mavericks, who had nobody in the middle to even give O’Neal a difficult time, put up quick shots, gave up easy baskets, and generally earned their 1-7 start.

At halftime, it was 53-37, with the Mavericks shooting 36.4% from the field and the Lakers, with O’Neal making eight of his 10 attempts, hitting half of their field-goal tries.

O’Neal thrashed A.C. Green, Samaki Walker, John “Hot Rod” Williams and whoever else Dallas threw at him in the first two periods, scoring 18 points and grabbing nine rebounds.

In the half, the Lakers outrebounded the Mavericks, 30-20; and, with Fisher, Harper and Fox all passing out three apiece, had 16 assists to the Mavericks’ nine.