Lakers Wipe Off a Streak

By Tim Brown

Nov. 13, 2003 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

Shaquille O’Neal and Gary Payton arrived about a half-hour before the opening tip Wednesday night, splashed across Chick Hearn Court, into the Staples Center garage and then climbed onto a golf cart, which whisked them away to the locker room and their waiting teammates.

They are the unavoidable moments of living and playing in Los Angeles, where in every commute, as in every season, a little pain must fall.

After a two-game losing streak, the Lakers came home and defeated the Toronto Raptors, 94-79.

“That traffic crazy out there,” Payton said afterward, laughing. “I gotta leave a little bit earlier, I guess, on rainy days.”

The Lakers are 6-2. It was their 18th consecutive regular-season home victory, a streak that dates to Feb. 14 and a 103-95 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. They took the win in the spirit of offensive cooperation, with 22 assists on 32 field goals, with open shooters taking open jump shots and with four players scoring between 16 and 23 points.

“We came back and did what we were supposed to do,” Payton said. “Everybody touched the ball.”

Again the focal point of an attack that became inconsistent through the weekend, O’Neal had 23 points and 14 rebounds. Kobe Bryant, whose heavy-handed fourth quarter in Memphis led to O’Neal’s public reminder of the philosophies behind Phil Jackson’s triangle offense, scored 19 points.

Bryant will travel today to Eagle, Colo., for a hearing related to his felony sexual assault charge, and is expected to return in time for today’s practice in El Segundo.

“Like I do every night,” Bryant said, “I go out there and play and try to win the game.”

Asked how difficult that is, he said, “I really don’t have any choice.”

On a night when heavy rains and traffic caused a slow fill of the Staples Center bowl, Karl Malone had 17 points and eight rebounds and Payton had 16 points and six assists. Malone left the game early in the fourth quarter because of a sore left hamstring, then predicted he would play Friday night against the Detroit Pistons, the Lakers’ next game. In 18-plus seasons, Malone has sat out 10 games and has never been on the injured list.

“I’ll be ready to play,” he said.

Vince Carter, Toronto’s primary and secondary scorer, had a relatively modest 23 points, needing 22 shots to get them. Morris Peterson scored 16 points and Lamond Murray had 15.

“The defense was active and quick,” Jackson said. “Recognition was good. I liked that.”

The Lakers left the road behind, held a rare shoot-around at Staples on Wednesday morning to reacquaint themselves with the place, and looked more comfortable from the start.

Gone were the raft of turnovers and the awkward possessions of the losses in New Orleans and Memphis, along with the slack-shouldered postures of Monday’s fourth quarter.

Bryant fell back into step with the system, Payton played 36 minutes and pushed the basketball, the Lakers often had a cool, methodical look about them and their offensive balance was back.

“We just got a little discombobulated in Memphis and did not do the stuff we were supposed to,” Payton said.

More lively after a couple of nights at home, the Lakers held the Raptors to 34.8% shooting and forced 19 turnovers.

“It’s very difficult to go on the road early in the season and anticipate that you’re going to hold teams into a real good defensive match,” Jackson had said. “Teams are running early, they’re young, they’re frisky. We don’t have a young team. But we faced two or three of the youngest teams in the league and they’re going to exploit some of the things about our team that are age related.

“Some of it’s defensive retreat, some of it has to be reactions, things like that. We have to make up for that and hold our own. We can do that, but it takes a really good offense. That’s a key to defense. You can’t defend ... turnovers.”

Malone had the best few minutes of the Laker end of his career to start the second half, and so the Lakers scored the first eight minutes of the third quarter and 12 of the first 14.

He hit a signature 16-foot jumper, fed Payton for a fastbreak layup and then found Devean George for another layup. The Laker lead became 61-43 and then 65-45.

“It was kind of back to the basics,” Malone said. “Make the extra pass, do the things to win the game.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Losing It

Examining Laker turnovers this season:

GAME 1 VS. DALLAS

Laker turnovers: 11 Maverick turnovers: 11

Even Lakers won, 109-93

GAME 2 AT PHOENIX

Laker turnovers: 13 Sun turnovers: 9

+4 Lakers won 103-99

GAME 3 VS. GOLDEN STATE

Laker turnovers: 17 Warrior turnovers: 20