A Big Game Is Missing Biggest Stars

For years, the Lakers have outdone the Sacramento Kings with talent. Tonight, they’ll see how far this youthful-exuberance thing carries them.

Shaquille O’Neal practiced Thursday but did not make the trip to Sacramento later in the afternoon, saying it would be “maybe a week” before his strained calf would allow him to play in a game. Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone and Rick Fox are on the injured list, and Horace Grant is in Georgia.

Coach Phil Jackson said it would be unlikely that Grant, tending to his ailing father, would return in time for tonight’s game in Sacramento. He appeared to have some hope for Saturday night’s game against the Clippers. But that remains vague, sort of the theme with these Lakers over the last several weeks.

So, the Lakers arrive at their first game of the season against the Kings with 10 players, three of whom hadn’t played an NBA game before this season and a fourth whose NBA career had consisted of eight minutes.

As most of their superstars fell down around them, the Lakers of Gary Payton and the Pips beat Atlanta, Cleveland and Denver over six nights, all at Staples Center.

The Kings, at Arco Arena, might be different. After all, if the Lakers’ starting center isn’t Slava Medvedenko, it’ll probably be Jamal Sampson, who will turn 21 in four months. After that, well, there’s Luke Walton.

“Um, we’re going to throw caution to the wind and go with some of our youth,” Jackson said. “We just have to patch it up as best we can.”

And, as power forwards become centers and small forwards become power forwards, shooting guards become ... scarce.

The Lakers are pretty sure that the same effort that bought them a 26-point win against the Nuggets on Wednesday will keep them in a game in Sacramento. They defended, rebounded and controlled the ball against the weary Nuggets. Also, Payton -- surrounded by players whose bodies tend to move a bit faster than their consciences -- resisted the urge to push the ball, and everybody slowed down and made jump shots in the half-court game.

“It’s a lot of fun,” said rookie Brian Cook, who played 39 minutes over the last two games. “It’s a good experience for me. I’m going to be ready now, no matter what. And when the other guys get back, you never know what’s going to happen.”

As it appears now, of the injured starters, O’Neal will be the first back, followed by Malone and then Bryant. Fox is getting closer, but Jackson is not yet satisfied with his progress, so he could be the first to return, or the last. Not that anyone will be thinking about that tonight.

“Whatever players come back, we’ll welcome their return, there’s no doubt about it,” Jackson said. “[But] we can’t be looking over our shoulders playing ball. We just have to play with who we have and that’s it.”

*

Ime Udoka, signed by the Lakers on Wednesday to a 10-day contract, has a sister, Mfon, who played 25 games for the WNBA’s Houston Comets last season.

They are the NBA and WNBA’s first brother-sister combination.

“She did her part,” said Ime, who played six minutes against the Nuggets on Wednesday night. “I’ve been trying to catch her.”

Ime and Mfon’s father, Vitalis, is from Nigeria.

TONIGHT

at Sacramento, 7:30

Channel 9, ESPN

Site -- Arco Arena.

Radio -- KLAC (570), KWKW (1330).

Records -- Lakers 24-11, Kings 27-9.

Record vs. Kings (2002-03) -- 2-2.

Update -- The Lakers, who have lost six road games in a row, one of them in their own arena, play four of their next six games away from Staples Center. The Kings are 20-2 at Arco. Chris Webber is on the injured list.