O’Neal, Bryant Rest Up After Two Long Nights

The Lakers held a voluntary practice in El Segundo on Saturday morning, hours after their first defeat, eight games into a new season.

A few players lifted weights, then 10--including Derek Fisher and Mark Madsen--stayed around to scrimmage, and by early afternoon they had studied film, the Phoenix Suns well behind them, the Sacramento Kings in tonight.

Neither Shaquille O’Neal nor Kobe Bryant attended, and neither was expected.

Over consecutive arduous nights in Houston and Phoenix, O’Neal played 79 minutes and Bryant played 91. Both appeared weary by late Friday, before the team charter departed for Los Angeles. Bryant trudged from the trainer’s room and spotted a handful of reporters.

“I can’t imagine what there is to talk about,” Bryant had said with a sigh and a smile. “I can’t fathom.”

Earlier, O’Neal had flicked away notions that veteran legs and early back-to-back road games do not mix.

‘We don’t make excuses, brother,” he said. “We just lost the game.”

After Friday night, O’Neal led the league in scoring, at 30.2 points per game. Bryant, held by the Suns to 18 points, was third, at 27.5.

The Laker duo could become the first set of teammates to finish in the league’s top two scoring spots in 19 years, and only the third set ever.

Alex English (28.4) and Kiki Vandeweghe (26.7) finished one-two for the Denver Nuggets in 1982-83. Future Hall of Famers Neil Johnston (22.7) and Paul Arizin (21.0) led the league for the Philadelphia Warriors in 1954-55.

O’Neal’s public displeasure with Phil Jackson has not shown in his game. On the trip, he was 23 for 43 from the field and averaged 29 points and 12.5 rebounds. He made less than half of his free-throw attempts, but those were not his misses that forced the Houston game into overtime.

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Lindsey Hunter is wearing a wristband on his elbow with the name of his brother on it.

Tommie Hunter was 19 when he died in a single-car accident early this summer, two weeks before Lindsey was traded from the Milwaukee Bucks. He would have been a freshman at Jackson State, where he was to play basketball, just as Lindsey had.

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Remember how vulnerable the Lakers were to penetrating guards before Fisher returned last season?

Remember what Stephon Marbury (50 points) and Allen Iverson (40 points) did on consecutive nights in February? What Gary Payton did four times (27.5 average)?

Hunter has made a difference. Though the Lakers split the games and he did not play every minute, Hunter did most of the work to hold Steve Francis to eight-of-21 shooting and Marbury at eight for 19.

TONIGHT

vs. Sacramento

6:30, Fox Sports Net

Site--Staples Center.

Radio--KLAC (570).

Records--Lakers 7-1, Kings 7-2.

Record vs. Kings (2000-01)--3-1.

Update--Given the preseason sprained ankle that has yet to allow Chris Webber to play, the Kings have had a surprisingly strong start. Scot Pollard has played reasonably well at power forward, though King Coach Rick Adelman is considering starting Lawrence Funderburke there tonight. Peja Stojakovic averages 23.4 points and Vlade Divac 15.8. The Kings rank third in the league in scoring (102.7), just ahead of the Lakers, who scored a season-low 83 points Friday in Phoenix. The Kings might still be smarting from being swept in four games in last season’s conference semifinals.

Tickets--(800) 462-2849.