Lakers Just Keep Falling in Seattle

Shaquille O’Neal has a strained calf, an injury the Lakers will add to Karl Malone’s sprained knee, a complication they’ll add to a regular season whose obstacles are coming with some regularity now.

On the occasion of Gary Payton’s return to Seattle on Friday night, the Lakers lost O’Neal and then the game, 111-109, to the Seattle SuperSonics at KeyArena, where Ray Allen scored the eventual game-winning layup with 5.8 seconds remaining and Kobe Bryant’s 27-foot attempt to answer as time expired hit the front of the rim.

Payton scored a season-high 24 points and Bryant scored 32, 18 in a frantic fourth quarter. Allen, in his fifth game back from ankle surgery, scored 35 points, 14 in the fourth. He was five for 11 on three-pointers, the SuperSonics 12 for 33.

The Lakers lost their third consecutive road game, for the fifth time in eight games overall, fell into a tie with the Sacramento Kings for first place in the Pacific Division, and then dealt with the injury to O’Neal.

O’Neal limped from the floor in the second quarter with what apparently is the same ailment that caused him to miss two games in late November. He will be evaluated again today, but it appears his availability for Sunday’s game against the Clippers -- at least -- could be in jeopardy, and that leaves the Lakers ever more vulnerable.

“We turn to our defense, which is not there,” forward Horace Grant said. “Until we start doing that and moving the basketball in this offense, we’re not going to be the team we think we can be. I don’t care who we have on the floor.”

The Lakers have lost five times since Dec. 12, and allowed at least 107 points in four of them. The SuperSonics made open jump shots most of the time, and for their winning points screened Bryant off the ball, allowing Allen a run to the basket. Later, Bryant said Grant was supposed to pick up Allen. “We’d been switching on pick-and-rolls late in the game ... for the entire fourth quarter,” he said.

Phil Jackson, however, said Bryant should have stayed with Allen. “He’s supposed to come under that screen,” the Laker coach said.

Allen spun past Grant and made a difficult layup, leaving less than six seconds for the Lakers, who then tried to set up Bryant for a chance to tie, at least. Devean George inbounded to Grant, who hit Bryant on the right wing, well behind the three-point arc. Bryant’s shot -- his 12th of the fourth quarter -- was short.

Bryant said George should have called a timeout when the SuperSonics defended well into the five seconds allotted for George to make the inbounds pass, and that the indecision cost Bryant a good shot.

“A 35-footer falling away from the basket?” Bryant asked. “No. We wanted something at the top of the key. Play didn’t work out for us.... We’ll learn from it. Next time [George] will call the timeout.”

By the time the Lakers pushed through reporters on their way to their bus, the details of the game were lost in their season’s change of momentum.

In all, there were 19 lead changes and 25 ties and one final score, none of which helped the Lakers push through their stagnant period. Malone stayed home in Newport Beach and O’Neal left without addressing reporters, and it appears the Laker troubles might get worse before they get better.

“We’ve just got to play,” Payton said. “We can’t not play because our two big guys are out.”

So, Payton’s return to Seattle had become less about working around O’Neal than the point guard running his game, back to making things up as he went, back to posting opposing guards when the feeling came upon him. He made nine of 20 attempts and had five rebounds and five assists.

In case there were any questions about where Payton was now, O’Neal slung his right arm over Payton’s shoulders during the national anthem.

If there was any doubt about where Payton’s enmity lay, with SuperSonic owner Howard Schultz courtside, Payton jogged the length of the floor before the opening tip and hugged Seattle Coach Nate McMillan.

The fans had stood and applauded Payton for more than a minute during the Laker introductions, and players from both teams joined them.

Payton, who played 12 1/2 seasons in Seattle before being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks at the trading deadline last year, waved at the initial blast of attention. Sixty seconds later, with the ovation still loud and the fans unwilling to sit, he broke into a large smile, laughed and waved again.

“It was real nice,” Payton said. “The fans really appreciated what I’ve done here and it was a memorable moment for me. I love Seattle.... It’s over and I had fun.”