Lakers Shake Out the Rustiness With Blowout Over Jazz

Had the Lakers’ recent play not been so perplexingly inconsistent, usually settling somewhere near adequate, then what happened Wednesday night at the Forum probably would have seemed rather routine for all involved.

But because the Lakers have not been cruising along in their usual regular-season mode, their easy and disgustingly lopsided 130-84 win over the Utah Jazz before 17,505 fans had to be a welcome sight to Coach Pat Riley.

Before this one deteriorated into a completely sloppy affair, it seemed like old times for the Lakers. The fast breaks were flowing, the sky hooks and three-point shots were falling and Jazz Coach Frank Layden spent much of his time cringing.

On the other bench, Riley was enjoying the win but hardly seemed satisfied. This being the last quarter of the regular season, Riley wants his team to play like this every game, heading into the playoffs.

“Maybe (a blowout) is good for us,” Riley said. “We’ve been grinding it out recently and working hard for wins. But whether it’s a blowout or just a win, it doesn’t matter unless you get effort from everyone and work on execution.”

Not long after the opening tipoff, the Jazz had to feel they were headed for execution.

The 46-point epic blowout, which became so ugly in the latter stages it seemed the Lakers didn’t even derive much satisfaction from it, was the Lakers’ first certified lopsided win since Feb. 14, when they easily handled Atlanta by 24 points. Wednesday’s margin also was the Lakers’ largest since 1979, when they beat the San Diego Clippers by 46.

In winning, the Lakers shot a blistering 62.7% from the field (80% in the second quarter) and had six players score in double figures, including reserve guard Mike McGee with 20 and forward Larry Spriggs with 18.

So, only one game after Riley said the time was right for a Laker resurgence, they received the wake-up call. Utah just happened to be the unlucky opponent. It could have been almost any team.

“It really doesn’t bother me or surprise me when the Lakers do this to us,” Layden said. “Now, a couple of weeks ago, the Clippers did it, and that’s entirely different. We can’t beat (the Lakers) when they play that way. They out-talent us. It’s like a Rembrandt verus a Schulz cartoon.”

There were certain aspects of Wednesday’s game that clearly showed the Lakers were painting with a different brush than the Jazz.

On this night, almost everything the Lakers tried worked out for them. For example, rookie forward A.C. Green made the first three-point shot of his young career at the end of the third quarter, looking around to pass and then hoisting a desperation shot from just beyond the three-point barrier. Meanwhile, the Jazz failed miserably at everything. Thanks primarily to the Lakers’ pressure defense, Utah shot only 43.9% and commited a staggering 30 turnovers.

Adrian Dantley, the NBA’s second-leading scorer, was held to 8 points in 19 minutes, the first time this season he has been below double figures. And 7-4 center Mark Eaton played 36 minutes and did not block a shot. That’s the second time this season Eaton has been blanked against the Lakers.

The Lakers were easily able to handle the Jazz, even though Maurice Lucas missed his second straight game with a bruised and hyperextended right elbow, and Mitch Kupchak had undergone knee surgery earlier in the day and will be out for two weeks, probably longer. Also, James Worthy was limited to 14 minutes (8 points, 2 rebounds) in his second game back after suffering a groin injury.

“This was a good game, a good effort,” said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting in 29 minutes. “But no, we’re going to have to put a whole lot more of these games together before we’re satisfied with ourselves.”

That was the general theme in a casual Laker locker room.

“It just feels good,” said McGee, who made 9 of 15 shots. “This is the first time in a long while I can remember us really blowing out somebody. We’ve talked recently and decided not to wait anymore. Just to kick it out now and take it to teams.”

Riley was mostly pleased with the Lakers’ defense, which stifled the Jazz’s attack. Only guard Ricky Green, who had 19 points, did any damage, and Layden became so frustrated at Dantley’s play that he sat out his star most of the second half.

Considering that the Lakers led by 40 points entering the fourth quarter, the other Jazz players probably wanted to join Dantley on the bench.

Laker Notes

Center Mitch Kupchak will be out at least two weeks after having bone fragments and scar tissue removed from his injured left knee Wednesday during arthroscopic surgery performed by Dr. Stephen Lombardo. Kupchak, 31, injured his knee Feb. 23, when the Lakers beat Philadelphia , and reinjured it Monday night in the Golden State victory. Laker Coach Pat Riley said the club will sign a player to a 10-day contract to replace Kupchak, probably over the weekend. “We went searching through the lists of big men the last two days,” Riley said. “We looked everywhere from Europe to the CBA, and there really aren’t that many big men available. Given the previous condition of Mitch’s knee (he had major surgery on the left knee in 1982), I really think it might take longer for him to get back. We can test a couple guys on 10-day contracts and see where it goes.” . . . Maurice Lucas will not make tonight’s trip to Oakland to play the Warriors. The game will be televised on Channel 9 at 7:20 p.m.