Foul Taste No Worry for Lakers

At the conclusion of eight days that asked them for quite a bit more, a Sabbath-to-Sabbath pilgrimage that began in Sacramento and concluded when Shaquille O’Neal redirected San Antonio’s last shot, the Lakers were uncertain of where it left them.

And not curious, particularly.

The Lakers defeated the Spurs, 96-95, Sunday at Staples Center, where they scored the last seven points--five by Derek Fisher, the last two from the free-throw line with 15.9 seconds left.

Tim Duncan’s turnaround 12-footer with not quite six seconds remaining was blocked by O’Neal, whose right hand came off the ball and grazed Duncan’s wrist. The clock wound down as Duncan slapped his hands together, begging for a foul call, and as Kobe Bryant gathered the ball as it fell several feet short of the rim.

A week earlier, it was Chris Webber, on his knees, his fists on the floor in Sacramento. Two days earlier, it was Scottie Pippen, shaking his head, wondering where his shot went, and where it had left the Portland Trail Blazers.

And so Duncan demanded a judgment that would not come, mourned a shot that did not fall, his eighth miss in nine fourth-quarter attempts.

The Spurs surely called it robbery. The Lakers, one in particular, thought it justice.

“That’s all ball,” O’Neal said with playground attitude. “I was getting beat on all day and I didn’t make a face. I didn’t say a thing. If it was a foul, they owed me that. After 10 years of getting beat up, of taking all that, they owed me.”

It is perfect logic to O’Neal, who got the ball, got the wrist, got the victory, and got most of what he wanted from Sunday to Sunday. The Lakers won emotional, hard games against the Kings, Trail Blazers and Spurs--much of the core of the approaching Western Conference playoffs--and stand two losses behind the Kings in the Pacific Division.

In winning their 11th in a row at Staples Center, the Lakers also have won five of six games since they lost two in a row in Texas, the second there by 18 points to the Spurs. That set up an Easter afternoon with NBC in town and a national TV audience.

Kobe Bryant scored 31 points, but needed 24 shots. He missed all four fourth-quarter attempts, the last while being fouled without a call under the basket by Duncan, which fit again into O’Neal’s logic.

O’Neal scored 24 points. While he missed 11 of 19 shots, he made eight of nine free throws. And Duncan scored 26 points, 16 in the third, two in the fourth.

But it was Robert Horry who filled in between O’Neal and Bryant, who defended Duncan as well as a power forward can and scored a season-high 23 points, eight in a fourth quarter that saw the Lakers make only five field goals. He had eight rebounds, a team-high four assists, and two blocks.

When the Spurs led by 10 early in the fourth quarter, Horry made a three-pointer as Duncan rushed him from the lane. When the Spurs led by seven three possessions later, Horry made another, again as Duncan was trapped too deep.

“I had to shoot it because I wanted to shoot it,” said Horry, rarely burdened by conscience in matters of offense. “I am going to test my gun if it is firing right and keep shooting it. Tonight, I hit a couple of them and helped pull the defense out.”

He held the Lakers close, and the Spurs, losers of three in a row, did not score after Steve Smith’s three-pointer gave them a 95-89 lead.

From there, Fisher made a three-pointer from the right wing, Horry made two free throws and, with less than 16 seconds left, Fisher made both free throws for the Lakers’ first lead since 38-37. Fisher was fouled by Malik Rose while rebounding another Duncan miss, another borderline call.

In five fourth-quarter minutes, Fisher made his only field goal and both free throws, like Horry filling the gaps left by O’Neal and Bryant.

“You know what I like about it?” Laker forward Rick Fox said. “I like that we won games that were close against good teams.”

Fox, who a day before wondered if the Spurs weren’t still “scared” of the Lakers, maintained that view.

“You know you look in somebody’s eyes and you can tell whether they believe or not?” he said. “I think a lot was still lingering from last year.”

The Lakers swept the Spurs in the conference finals last season.

“If you ask me to be humble about what we do, I can’t be,” Fox said. “I’m very confident with what we do.”