[0] LAKERS ON THE MEND : RETURN OF HORRY KEYS HOBBLED TEAM LAKERS 110, DENVER 85.

Byline: Gary Washburn Daily News Staff Writer

Shaq was half right.

The mammoth center projected an April 2 return from his knee injury and he did wear purple and gold on Wednesday. But it was simply the color scheme of the shirt he sported on the sideline.

However, the franchise player did have a say in the return of another hobbled Laker. Robert Horry, whose comeback date from a sprained knee ligament had not been determined, was activated before the Lakers' 110-85 win over Denver in front of 17,141 at the Forum.

George McCloud had his best game as a Laker, scoring 24 points with four 3-pointers, bringing the Lakers (50-23) even with first-place Seattle in the Pacific Division. It was the Lakers' fifth straight win.

Horry entered at 5:45 of the first quarter, scoring seven points with eight rebounds in 20 minutes. He received a page about 2 p.m. Wednesday from Lakers coach Del Harris, informing the 6-foot-10 forward his 21-game stint on the injured list was over.

``I was shocked,'' Horry said. ``I was about to take some medicine that makes me tired. I'm glad I didn't take it.''

Harris was leery about Horry's condition in the past week and said Monday that the Nuggets game was out. However, two factors altered his outlook.

Travis Knight and Elden Campbell both missed Wednesday's game with injuries. Knight suffered a sprained right knee Tuesday against Seattle and will miss at least the next two games. He will be evaluated on Saturday.

Shawn Kemp's hard foul on Campbell on Tuesday caused a severe bruise of the right buttocks. Campbell is day-to-day and could possibly play Friday against San Antonio. So there was no depth.

Harris asked O'Neal about Horry after the two worked out Wednesday morning. O'Neal gave Harris his approval.

O'Neal asked Horry, who walked into the locker room in warmups, if he was ready.

``Yeah,'' he said. ``What do you think?''

``(Tuesday), no,'' O'Neal said. ``But today, yeah, you're ready.''

O'Neal finally relented on his projected return date and said he'll return, ``When the doctors sign the papers. I feel fine.''

Harris asked Horry if he was prepared for action. During his rehabilitation, Harris had put the return date in Horry's hands. Horry ignored the slight pain below his knee and was ready.

``I wanted to win, that was the first thing,'' Horry said. ``I didn't want people saying we brought Robert back and we lost. I felt no pain and I had some wind. I just wanted to come out there and make something happen defensively.''

Harris was impressed.

``I had forgotten how good he is,'' Harris said. ``We had two excellent players out, Shaq and Robert.''

Finally catching Seattle is a reward for a long ordeal with injuries. Having some disappointments come through on Wednesday was another bonus.

McCloud finally displayed his game-breaking abilities. Campbell's replacement, Sean Rooks (14 points), whom the Lakers invested $13 million over seven years, eclipsed his season high in the first half. Corie Blount, starting at power forward, quietly added 15 points and 12 rebounds. It was his sixth double-double in the past 12 games.

The Lakers have been hobbling since the season began. Jerome Kersey was first, then Cedric Ceballos. Next came O'Neal, followed by the newly acquired Horry. Now it's Knight and Campbell.

``I don't think we've been healthy all season,'' said Kersey, who missed the first 11 games with a fractured foot. ``It's amazing that we're still in it because we've been hurt. I guess Seattle isn't as invincible as people thought they were.''

Layups: Van Exel was assessed a technical from the bench with 8:23 left in the second quarter. . . . Both Sean Rooks and McCloud, disappointments to date, eclipsed season highs in points in the first half. . . . Eddie Jones led the Lakers with 27 points, while Antonio McDyess had 21 for the Nuggets.