Laker Defeat a Tough One to Defend

Shaquille O’Neal pushed himself away from the suspension, three games for the angry swipe he took at a career’s worth of abuse, on Tuesday night and did what he does, only to have the Lakers do what they do.

O’Neal made 17 of 22 shots and scored 40 points, and the Lakers lost to one of the NBA’s sorry franchises, it playing the second of back-to-back games on the road.

The Denver Nuggets, two months without a road win, shot 57% and defeated the Lakers, 107-91, at Staples Center. Voshon Lenard scored 29 points and James Posey scored 23 while the Lakers stood around on defense, watched O’Neal score on offense, and so lost for the fourth time in six games.

In the spirit of their mercurial season, the Lakers were three days removed from their impressive victory in San Antonio, six removed from a mystifying loss at home to Miami, and no more ready with an explanation for their absolute disregard for the regular season.

“Sometimes it’s hard to figure out which team is going to show up,” Laker Coach Phil Jackson said. “We laid back and watched Shaq perform and he was great. He did a fine job.”

As this one ended, O’Neal stood slowly from the bench, wiped his face with a towel, shook his head and trudged into the tunnel. He again did not speak to reporters, other than to say, “I don’t have anything nice to say, so I shouldn’t say it.”

By late in the fourth quarter, by the time they defended the Nuggets with an ounce of energy, it was too late.

Kobe Bryant was not in the game for four late minutes, when the Lakers tried a final push. Brian Shaw was in the backcourt with Derek Fisher. Bryant scored 15 points, making six of 14 shots, and was closest to Lenard in the fourth quarter, when Lenard scored 13 points.

“Defensively he’s having trouble out there,” Jackson said, “so we just gave him a little break. I have no fault with Kobe.”

The Lakers again tested one of the NBA’s great mysteries: How the two-time defending champion could lose to the last-place team in every division by the middle of January. The Nuggets arrived tied for last with the Memphis Grizzlies in the Midwest Division, and playing like it. Since Dec. 21, the Lakers have lost to Memphis, Golden State, Chicago, Miami and, ta-da, Denver.

“I haven’t ever experienced that kind of situation before,” Jackson said.

The Nuggets had lost 14 in a row on the road and were 3-11 since Dan Issel resigned, including Monday’s 13-point loss to the Clippers on the same floor. But they scored easily against the Lakers, who are prone to lethargy against pick-and-roll offenses.

“We should just play solid,” Rick Fox said, “and respect whoever’s in front of us as someone who’s worthy of being in this league.”

Otherwise, it would have been a day for O’Neal.

That’s the thing about Shaq versus the Nuggets, versus the NBA, versus the world: The rules are so blurry, or are interpreted as such.

“You just can’t tell,” Jackson said. “This is a game-to-game situation. There is nothing that can be delineated out of this whole thing until we get to the playoffs and get to games where teams really have to foul as a matter of fact. Then, how are they going to judge it at that point.”

It was all about O’Neal again, back again for the second time in three weeks. In a month fractured by injury and league discipline, O’Neal had played six basketball games. From his wounded toe, O’Neal went to the injured list for five games on Christmas Day.

Whether or not by design, O’Neal, a tri-captain, did not go to mid-court before the game to chat with referees. Fox and Bryant, the other captains, did. O’Neal shot free throws instead, and posed with a friend’s son.

His return came several minutes later, with the crowd eager.

“At center, No. 34 ... “ Lawrence Tanter told it, and the place was happy to have him.

O’Neal made four of seven attempts in the first quarter and eight of eight in the second. He made nine consecutive shots from the end of the first quarter to the end of the second, and so reached halftime with 27 points, 20 on dunks and layups.

The Nuggets contributed to Shaq’s big night back by coming in with no player taller than 6-foot-11 or heftier than 250 pounds. Zendon Hamilton was that guy, and Nugget Coach Mike Evans started him in the post.

When Hamilton (who scored a career-high 17 points) tired, Evans sent Raef LaFrentz after O’Neal, and then Chris Anderson, a spindly, tattooed, billy goat-bearded version of Mark Madsen.

In the end, O’Neal’s tolerance was not tested against the Nuggets, who neither defended his shots nor hacked him excessively. Jackson said he expected nothing less.

“I think he’s going to be the same as he was before, where he took a lot of punishment and went to the line and worked it out at the line, or whatever,” Jackson said. “The process, though, is going to change a little bit because the review that goes on is going to be a little more intense.”