Lakers Use George, Shaw to Out-Fox Timberwolves

Rick Fox went down first, limping in agony toward the Laker locker room because of what was later called a strained left ankle. Devean George went next, shuffling back to the bench after drawing his second foul after only five minutes as Fox’s replacement. Out of options, Coach Phil Jackson summoned Brian Shaw.

This was not how the Lakers envisioned Game 4 starting Sunday afternoon against the energized Minnesota Timberwolves at Staples Center. Matters would improve, but not before the Lakers had been pushed to the brink of an early summer vacation.

George would return to the court, redeeming himself for his early aggression and lifting the Lakers into the lead once and for all with a jump shot with 4:40 to play. Shaw would play more minutes than at any time since Dec. 8, finding defensive success against Minnesota’s elusive Troy Hudson where others had failed.

Without Fox, who was lost for the duration Sunday and whose status for Game 5 on Tuesday is doubtful, the Lakers could have been hopelessly lost in Game 4.

Instead, they found George and Shaw waiting on the bench to provide a rescue during a 102-97 victory that tied the best-of-seven series at two victories apiece.

With Derek Fisher in foul trouble in the fourth quarter, George and Shaw teamed in the backcourt with Kobe Bryant moving to Fox’s small forward position.

“Their guys came through,” Minnesota’s Kendall Gill said, “not only Shaq [O’Neal] and Kobe, but Devean George hit some big shots and Brian Shaw came off the bench and played really well and hit a shot at the end of the third quarter.

“We just have to stop those guys. I think we did a decent job on Shaq and Kobe, but it’s the other guys on that team that we have to stop.”

And who would have thought that would be the case after lackluster showings from the Lakers’ supporting cast in losses to the Timberwolves in Games 2 and 3? However, in Game 4, the Laker reserves outscored their counterparts, 25-16.

George had nine points on four-for-nine shooting with six rebounds and two blocks on Wally Szczerbiak during one Minnesota possession late that led to a 24-second violation.

George’s 17-foot jumper gave the Lakers the lead for good, 88-87. He also made a key three-point basket for a 93-89 lead.

Asked later about his three-pointer, George said he wasn’t about to pass up an open jump shot at that point.

“We were running our sets and trying to get the ball to Shaq,” he said. “But we can’t depend on Kobe and Shaq every night. Now, we have a man down [Fox] and we all have to step up.”

Shaw had 10 points on four-for-eight shooting with six rebounds in 27 minutes, giving the Lakers another threat on the perimeter to ease some of the crunch around O’Neal on the low post.

He also applied suffocating defensive pressure on Hudson, who had 28 points in the first three quarters, but zero in the fourth.

“I think we’ve been trying to figure out different ways to slow Hudson down,” Shaw said when asked how he shut down Minnesota’s point guard.

“I’m a little bit taller than him and I think on his pull-up jumpers I can get a little closer than [Derek] Fisher and bother him a little bit. If he did get by me, I would just chase him into Shaq.”