Lakers Lose in Cellars’ Market

The Lakers left the floor quietly Wednesday night, while the Miami Heat celebrated the unfathomable behind them.

Without Shaquille O’Neal, serving the second of his three-game suspension, the Lakers played careless defense again and loose offense again. They were 102-96 losers at Staples Center, and so fell behind the Sacramento Kings in the Pacific Division. Since Dec. 21 they have been swept by the NBA’s four last-place teams, though the Memphis Grizzlies, on the strength of their win against the Lakers, have since played themselves out of last in the Midwest Division.

The Heat scored the last 12 points after the Lakers held a 96-90 lead. Rod Strickland scored six of the 12, the last four from the free-throw line, and Kobe Bryant missed three difficult shots in the final two minutes.

Bryant scored 29 points, but missed 18 of 30 shots.

The Heat scored more than 100 points, the kind of thing that happens for Miami every half-season or so. The Heat had not scored 100 in 35 consecutive games, all since the start of the season, an NBA record since the advent of the shot clock. It averaged 83.7 points, worst in the league, and 11 points below the league average.

The Heat was at its average by three possessions into the fourth quarter.

So in control in his 56-point, 34-attempt game Monday against Memphis, Bryant had some rogue moments against the Heat and good friend and former teammate Eddie Jones.

The Lakers caught the Heat at 76-76 with less than a minute left in the third quarter, having outscored Miami, 47-23, since the middle of the second quarter to do it.

The third quarter concluded with the Heat holding an 80-78 lead.

The Lakers had their first lead at 87-86, and appeared to put the game out of the offensively challenged Heat at 96-90. They were scoreless thereafter.

With the Heat holding a 46-26 lead, the crowd booed. Bryant was on the bench, with four people between him and Phil Jackson.

Then Eddie House made a three-pointer from the right wing, and Laker fans booed again, louder.

Some tried to cheer, it seemed. They pleaded for defense. Instead, boos kept coming out.

Given O’Neal’s three-game suspension, Pat Riley ordered the basketball to Alonzo Mourning, who was matched against Samaki Walker and then Mark Madsen and then whoever was close enough.

In 10 first-quarter minutes, Mourning made six of seven shots, scored 13 points, and was forceful around the basket.

“He has that tenacity, he wants to block everything that’s going to the basket,” Jackson said. “In the beginning of the year, I don’t know if he had the strength to get there, recover and rebound on top of it.”

As it turned out, Mourning’s liveliness was only the beginning of the Lakers’ issues.

The Heat made 17 of 24 attempts in the quarter and took a 17-point lead into the second quarter.

Among the indignities for a team that considers defense its first priority:

The Heat’s 39 first-quarter points were its most in any quarter in 13 months.

Its 70.8 shooting percentage was its second highest of the season.

The 17-point lead was the largest for the Heat in any quarter this season until ... the second quarter, when it had a 24-point lead.

Also, the Lakers had three rebounds in the first quarter, in part because the Heat did not miss very often.

Before the game, Jackson sighed at the mention of the Heat’s record-- every game without reaching 100 points.

“I think Pat revels in that, that he hasn’t scored 100, and he has the best defense,” he said, smiling. “Hey, we found a way to lose to all the other three division cellar-dwellers, so we certainly can find a way to lose to them, very easily.”

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Shaq-less

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