Lakers Can’t Quite Get Over the Hill

Grant Hill had 34 points, 15 rebounds and 14 assists, capped by six points and three assists in the second overtime, as the Detroit Pistons staged an unlikely comeback and beat the Lakers, 100-97, Saturday night before 17,505 at the Forum.

The Pistons were in such trouble near the end of regulation that they were fouling intentionally, trailing by five points with 24.1 seconds to play. But they overcame that, thanks to Hill’s brilliant triple-double, to win in the second overtime when Elden Campbell made the first free throw with 5.8 left to get the Lakers within 98-97, but missed the second.

Terry Mills grabbed the defensive rebound for Detroit and was fouled. He made both free throws with 4.9 seconds to play to provide the final scoring.

The Lakers were in position to win in regulation, with an 80-77 lead and the ballwith 16.6 seconds to play. But Robert Horry, unable to get the ball inbounds and a five-second violation call drawing near, threw it in too high for Eddie Jones. So it went on a night when Horry made only one of nine shots, and missed all six three-point attempts.

The Pistons took a timeout instead. And after the Lakers knocked the ball out of bounds, the Pistons called a 20-second timeout with 2.2 seconds remaining, got the ball to Hill on the right side, in position for him to take a single dribble toward the center to create some breathing room from defender Horry and then banked in a three-pointer at the buzzer.

The first concern was the first quarter, because a string of poor starts had turned it into something of an issue, to where Coach Del Harris said, “This is a trend we have got to find a way to break.”

It was a trend in which the Lakers had been outscored in the opening period in five of the previous six games while shooting 40.7% and committing 5.2 turnovers, nearly a third of their total in that category. In their previous game against Portland, they were trailing by 11 before the game was 12 minutes old.

Saturday at least brought a possibility. Supermodel Tyra Banks, attending the game, visited the locker room about 50 minutes before tip-off.

“Maybe their heart rates will get up a little bit early,” Harris joked.

Maybe not. The Lakers shot 32.1% against the Pistons and trailed, 22-19, at the end of the first quarter. A three-point deficit to a team that came in 27-9 is no cause for concern, but it was enough for Harris to open the second quarter with an all-reserve lineup: Sean Rooks and Travis Knight (because Shaquille O’Neal and Elden Campbell both had two fouls), Robert Horry, Byron Scott and Kobe Bryant.

For Bryant, it was part of his first extended look at point guard, coming after his brief stint there Tuesday against the Grizzlies. That was when he walked the ball upcourt so slowly after a missed Vancouver free throw that it resulted in a 10-second violation.

That was part of only six minutes of action, followed by a complete game on the bench Thursday. Against the Pistons, though, he was the primary ballhandler for much of his 14 first-half minutes.

This time, his four-for-seven shooting for 10 points, including two three-pointers, in those 14 minutes helped keep the Lakers as close as 42-39 at halftime despite shooting only 36.2%. A considerable turnaround in the third quarter--the Pistons at 16.7% from the field (three for 18), the Lakers 53.8%--allowed the Lakers to take a 58-52 advantage into the fourth quarter.

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A Season of Expectations

The Lakers acquired nine new players this season, including Shaquille O’Neal and his $120-million contract. In turn, with big acquisitions come big expectations. Throughout the season, The Times will monitor O’Neal’s numbers along with how the team compares to some of the best Laker teams in history.

GAME 40 OF 82

* Record: 28-12

* Standing: 2nd place

Pacific Division

1996-97 LAKERS VS. THE BEST LAKER TEAMS

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Year Gm. 3 Overall 1987-88 3-0 62-20 1986-87 2-1 65-17 1984-85 1-2 62-20 1979-80 2-1 60-22 1971-72 3-0 69-13

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Note: The five teams above all won NBA championships

THE SHAQ SCOREBOARD

Basketball Numbers

Saturday’s Game:

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Min FG FT Reb Blk Pts 49 9-12 0-2 19 5 18

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1996-97 Season Averages:

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Min FG% FT% Reb Blk Pts 39.8 .563 .479 13.2 3.1 26.5

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1995-96 Season Averages:

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Min FG% FT% Reb Blk Pts 36.0 .573 .487 11.0 2.1 26.6

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Money Numbers

* Saturday’s Salary: $130,658.53

* Season Totals: $5,226,341.20

* FACTOID: Game 40 of the 1979-80 season featured the first NBA matchup of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Johnson scored 23 points and had six assists in the Lakers’ 123-105 victory over Boston. Bird, thanks mainly to the tough defense of Michael Cooper, was held to 16 points.