Lakers Go Missing in Action

His right arm draped over his new free-throw coach, Shaquille O’Neal walked stiffly from Staples Center on Friday night.

It didn’t work again.

He missed all 11 free throws--an NBA record. Worse, the Lakers lost for the second time in nine days to the Seattle SuperSonics, this time by 103-95.

And while the free throws would have helped, so too would have some team defense. And so too would have Kobe Bryant helped, had he not missed 17 of 25 field-goal attempts.

“It happens,” said Bryant, the league scoring leader who scored 19 points, 11 beneath his average. “What killed us tonight was our transition defense. It was horrible.”

The “shell-shock losses,” Phil Jackson’s words, kept coming for the Lakers, suddenly vulnerable at home too.

“We just have to fight back,” O’Neal said.

Barely more than a week after the blowout defeat in Seattle, the 33-pointer that landed square in their guts, the Lakers were again without their best game. O’Neal scored 26 points and took 17 rebounds, and Horace Grant took 14 rebounds, but the defense was lifeless and the offense stalled at the worst times.

“Kobe had one of those nights,” Jackson said. “After running good, he couldn’t believe he wasn’t going to have a great night.”

Indeed, after consecutive games of 43, 38, 36 and 51, Bryant’s legs were shot and his shot was flat. He was 0 for 4 in the fourth quarter after a two-for-nine third quarter. The Lakers’ last and best run, in the fourth quarter, was made without Bryant on the floor.

The offense flowed, usually through O’Neal. Then, when the Lakers came within 92-90, the momentum was lost with 10 consecutive misses.

“When I took him out of the ballgame, we probably played better than at any other time in the fourth quarter,” Jackson said of Bryant.

O’Neal scored eight fourth-quarter points. Isaiah Rider, who played 28 minutes, scored six of his 16 points in the fourth quarter.

O’Neal’s 0-for-11 showing from the line broke Wilt Chamberlain’s record for most attempts in a game without making one. Chamberlain went 0 for 10 for Philadelphia against Detroit on Nov. 4, 1960.

“He took control of the game as far as his offense,” Jackson said. “Obviously, his free-throw shooting really hurt us. You know, if we can’t get one of those two [free throws], then it’s a turnover. Shaq slipped back to a position where he was shooting well for a couple of games and now fell back again. It’s unfortunate for him, a big blow, because he spent a lot of time shooting free throws the last few days.”

O’Neal had a little more bounce in his legs than he has recently, perhaps because early foul trouble kept him from his usual 40-plus minutes. When he was asked if he thought Thursday’s day off might help heal O’Neal, whose ankle soreness has lingered for three weeks, Jackson shook his head.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I was surprised in Golden State. He couldn’t dunk the ball. He didn’t look like he wanted to block shots or leave his feet. He has played with great energy against some teams. San Antonio [Dec. 1] was the last time we saw him come out with a surge, where physically he was 100%.”

O’Neal fouled twice in the first five minutes, so he did not play the final seven minutes of the first quarter. The Lakers again found themselves out of whack, particularly on defense, rapidly becoming a concern to Jackson.

“Defense is a signal to a basketball coach that a team is playing well together and sacrificing for each other,” Jackson said.

The statistics continue to show the Lakers aren’t playing defense, except occasionally.

It would explain why the SuperSonics, led by Gary Payton, scored 30 points in the first quarter, six on fastbreaks and as many uncontested in the half court, and 27 more in the second quarter.

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MISSING THE MARK

A look at Shaquille O’Neal’s free-throw shooting in Laker losses this season:

Nov. 1 vs. Utah

Score: 97-92

FT-FTA: 6-18

Nov. 7 at Rockets

Score: 84-74

FT-FTA: 8-14

Nov. 8 at Spurs

Score: 91-81

FT-FTA: 3-10

Nov. 18 at Nuggets

Score: 87-86

Did not play

Nov. 30 at Sonics

Score: 121-88

FT-FTA: 5-10

Dec. 6 at Warriors

Score: 125-122

FT-FTA: 3-6

Dec. 8 vs. Sonics

Score: 103-95

FT-FTA: 0-11

Shaq’s FT% in losses:

25-69 (36.2%)

Shaq’s FT% in wins:

57-144 (39.6%)