Lakers Make It an Even Dozen

Imagine the Lakers as the big bully of the neighborhood who loves to dominate smaller kids on the block like the Clippers.

Sometimes, the bully just beats down his younger neighbor and takes his ball. Other times, the bully gives the smaller kid hope of getting his ball back before making him go home sad.

For the second night in a row, the Lakers toyed with the Clippers.

After trailing for much of the first three quarters, the Lakers snatched away any hope the Clippers had for an upset with a dominating final quarter to win going away, 118-101, Wednesday before 18,788 at Staples Center.

With center Shaquille O’Neal, who finished with 40 points and 19 rebounds, again playing the role as the biggest bully, the Lakers outscored the Clippers, 39-28, over the final 12 minutes to win their 12th in a row and 19th in their last 20 games.

“It should never come down to this against a team like the Clippers. We are very capable of putting them away early and the last two games we didn’t do that until the second half,” said Laker forward Glen Rice, whose team improved to an NBA-best 27-5. “We can’t afford to keep doing that.”

The Clippers have lost four in a row, but they seem to be playing better--even though it might be difficult to believe considering they lost by 41 combined points over the last two nights.

Rookie Lamar Odom led the Clippers with 26 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Swingman Tyrone Nesby had 23 points and power forward Maurice Taylor added 22 for the Clippers, who dropped to 9-22.

Clipper center Michael Olowokandi again had problems staying out of foul trouble early against O’Neal, who made 17 of 24 shots. Olowokandi, who did not make a basket in Tuesday’s defeat to the Lakers, picked up two fouls within the first six minutes, forcing Coach Chris Ford to go to plans B and C against O’Neal.

“This is the first season that I’ve been knickknack injury free,” O’Neal said. “I’m just trying to be productive and do what I am told to do--go out and rebound, score when I have to and play good ‘D.’ ”

Olowokandi wound up playing only 18 minutes before fouling out.

“In the triangle offense, it is very difficult to double [O’Neal] because they have great spacing and cutting,” Ford said. “He’s passing the ball well in the triangle offense. We decided to try to put on some traps full-court and half-court whenever we could and to play him straight up.”

Backup center Keith Closs finished the first quarter in the middle for the Clippers and again played well, but it was the penetration of point guard Troy Hudson, who finished with 15 points and seven assists, that carried the team to a 31-29 lead heading into the second.

As they did Tuesday, the Clippers played a strong second quarter. Ford used Taylor at center and the small lineup was effective as the Clippers exchanged leads with the Lakers most of the quarter and went into halftime tied at 52.

On Tuesday, the Clippers’ collapse began in the third quarter, but it was a different story one night later.

With Odom and Nesby daring the Lakers to get in their way, the Clippers stayed in the battle early in the second half. Odom had one fastbreak dunk around Rice and Bryant and Nesby slammed home several baskets, but the Lakers still took a 79-73 lead into the fourth quarter.

From there, the Lakers simply pulled away, turning the final minutes into the usual extended garbage time in a Laker-Clipper game.

“I’m glad that’s over, it’s good games for us to win,” Laker Coach Phil Jackson said of the back-to-backs. “It wasn’t a whole lot of fun to play or to watch or to coach. The Clippers did a good job of maintaining the energy and the tempo in the ballgame again tonight.”

But it wasn’t enough.

“Our effort was there but I don’t think we have the personnel [to defeat the Lakers],” Taylor said.

“It’s a loss. . . . Every game we played against them was an ‘L.’ That’s what is so disappointing. No matter how much you can say we had a good effort, it doesn’t mean anything because it’s a loss.”

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LONGEST LAKER WINNING STREAKS

33 games

1971-72

season

(NBA record)

16 games

1990-91

15 games

1987-88

14 games

1978-79

13 games

1972-73

12 games

1999-2000