Divac Doesn’t Relax as Lakers Take a 2-0 Lead : Pro basketball: He scores 23 points and grabs 10 rebounds against Rockets’ Olajuwon in 109-98 victory.

American girls will love his face now.

Vlade Divac, the whimsical Yugoslav with the flashy game, devoted following and busy commercial agent, played Hakeem Olajuwon to a standoff Saturday, leading the Lakers to a 109-98 victory over the Rockets and a 2-0 lead in their playoff series.

Olajuwon had 23 points, 11 rebounds and one blocked shot. The unpredictable Divac had 23, 10 and three.

Look into Magic Johnson’s beaming face and tell him Saturday’s game wasn’t a Laker dream come true.

“I always wanted to see and dreamed about this,” Johnson said. “Because I always knew we were only going to go as far as he can take us.

“This inconsistency, we couldn’t have (it), and right now he isn’t being inconsistent.

“I’m not stunned. I knew he had it, but he’s never been this aggressive. What would happen, he’d relax. He’d play lackadaisical. Now he’s all over, blocking shots. He’s in on every play. He’s never been in on every play. He would take 10 minutes off.”

Sometimes he would take off more than that. Try March and April.

His letdowns can’t be regarded as stunners, either. He is from Europe, where they don’t have 100-game seasons or players talented enough to stuff him into their pockets.

Divac was supposed to be halfway down Olajuwon’s pocket by now, but has been in his face, instead. In Game 1, Divac had 17 points and 11 rebounds and got a hand on a jump shot by Olajuwon to force a key miss in the fourth quarter.

“You know, playoff and regular season is something different,” Divac said.

“Regular season, you can lose one, two games, five, 10, doesn’t matter. Playoffs, losing is no good like last year at Phoenix. We have to make big concentration in the playoffs.”

Why not during the regular season?

“I like big games,” Divac said, smiling.

“This is just my second year in NBA. I don’t have experience. I hope next year, every game play big.”

After the Rockets opened an 11-2 lead, the Lakers held them to two field goals in 19 tries during the rest of the first quarter.

The Lakers, playing without the suspended Terry Teagle, had a 58-49 lead midway through the third quarter when the Rockets’ Vernon Maxwell scored nine points in an 11-0 run (running seven-footer, 20-footer, three-pointer, fast break layup). Suddenly, the Lakers trailed, 60-58.

At the other end, Sam Perkins missed a jump hook, but Divac tipped it in, tying the score.

Maxwell fired again from three-point range but missed. The Rockets got the rebound, but Perkins blocked Kenny Smith’s layup, springing Johnson on a fast break. He scored on a layup, was fouled and made the free throw. The Lakers led, 63-60, and never trailed again.

The Rockets stayed close until the Lakers went on a 17-4 fourth-quarter run, Johnson scoring six of the points and assisting on three other baskets.

Divac came out of the game to thunderous cheers. He was a crowd favorite when he was a rookie reserve playing 15 minutes a game.

Now imagine the possibilities.

A Vlade Knows ad campaign?

“I think it’s because I’ve been pleading with him,” Laker Coach Mike Dunleavy said, laughing.

“People have said a lot of things about Vlade. I’ve tried to be there for him all year long. We’ve stayed with him. We played him all year long. I think he can really play. Off these two games, you should think he can play, too.

“I talked to him before the series. I told him, ‘I have to have you.’ He had to box out. If you don’t box out with Olajuwon, forget it. Write it in. The guy goes to the board on every play with authority. But boxing out is something you can do one-on-one.”

Divac left, passing Olajuwon in the hall. Olajuwon smiled, and they exchanged high-fives.

Of course, Divac didn’t make a no-look pass, go behind his back or any of the myriad things he can do. He simply stood toe to toe with Olajuwon and lived to tell the tale.

This one was all cake, hold the icing.

Laker Notes

Magic Johnson had 21 assists, the eighth time he has had 20 in the playoffs. . . . Houston Coach Don Chaney: “They (the Lakers) are a good team. There aren’t that many teams we’ve faced who have shut us down. Chicago didn’t, and I think Chicago is a good defensive team.” . . . Actually, the Rockets failed to score 100 points in seven of their last nine games of the regular season and have 92 and 98 in this series. . . . James Worthy started five for 17, making him nine for 30 in the series, but sank five of his last seven shots and led the Lakers with 29 points.