[0] WHAT, LAKERS WORRY?; THEY EASILY BEAT GOLDEN STATE DESPITE SHUFFLING THEIR LINEUP : LAKERS 105, GOLDEN STATE 99.Byline: Howard Beck Daily News Staff Writer Talk about reasons to worry. The Lakers, fresh off an ugly loss to Portland the night before, took the floor Wednesday night with their fifth guard and second-string center in the starting lineup For the line of action figures, see . A starting lineup in sports refers to the set of players actively participating in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes , while (gulp) Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (pronounced "shak-KEEL") (born March 6, 1972 in Newark, New Jersey), frequently referred to simply as Shaq, is an American professional basketball player, generally regarded as one of the most dominant in the National Basketball Association (NBA). was nowhere to be seen and Eddie Jones was home in bed. Not a comforting sight to Lakers fans, even considering the opponent was the Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are a professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. The team plays in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Franchise history Philadelphia Warriors . Perhaps especially because it was the Warriors, who upset the Shaq-less Lakers once already this season. Another long night in the making? Not exactly. O'Neal emerged from the locker room late in the first quarter, then proceeded to bully the Warriors with 33 points in a 105-99 victory before 14,674 at the Forum. The Lakers' All-Star, it turns out was just fine, his tardiness Tardiness Dagwood comic strip character; chronically late at the office. [Comics: “Blondie” in Horn, 118] ten o’clock scholar schoolboy who habitually arrives late. [Nurs. due to a rude call from nature, accompanied by an upset stomach. The injury report should have listed the local fast-food hut that served O'Neal's pregame dinner. ``Fortunately our bench came through for us. It's not often you get a substitute center come in and get 33 points,'' Lakers coach Del Harris deadpanned. Harris' humor aside, the Lakers were able to hold off the stubborn Warriors with an odd starting lineup that included Jon Barry Jon Alan Barry (born July 25 1969, in Oakland, California) is a retired American professional basketball player and current television analyst for cable network ESPN.[1] Biography making his first start at shooting guard The Shooting guard (SG), also known as the two or off guard,[1] is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. and Elden Campbell Elden Jerome Campbell (born July 23, 1968 in Los Angeles, California) is an American former professional basketball player who played center in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Campbell played college basketball at Clemson University. keeping O'Neal's spot warm. Campbell scored all of his nine points in the first quarter while O'Neal recovered. And Barry responded impressively, with nine points, seven assists, six rebounds, three steals and no turnovers in 30 minutes. It was only the 16th career start for the six-year veteran role player. ``I never get to play with Nick (Van Exel) and Shaq usually. It was kind of fun,'' Barry said afterward, his feet soaking in ice water. Barry, limited to rare garbage-time minutes most of the season, said he was happy to get a chance to contribute but said he knows his role here. ``I came here knowing what the situation was - Eddie Jones and Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant (born July 23 1978) is an American All-Star shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. are All-Stars, so what are you gonna do? I came here to win a ring,'' he said. Van Exel, who struggled with his shot the night before, rebounded nicely Wednesday with a 19-point, 14-assist performance against the Warriors. Joe Smith paced the Warriors with 25 points, but Golden State trailed by as many as 18 points and never got closer than five in the fourth quarter. The Lakers were once again without Jones, whose flu has spawned a viral infection viral infection, n an infection by a pathogenic virus. A virus acts on the cell nucleus, taking over the genetic material within the nucleus and replicating itself. , sidelining him a second straight game and leaving his status questionable for Friday's showdown with the Seattle SuperSonics at the Forum. Kobe Bryant got the start in Tuesday's loss to Portland, but he struggled for three quarters and got into early foul trouble and admitted he was fatigued from All-Star weekend in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . So Harris turned to Barry. ``We think Kobe is the best sixth man in the league, and we missed that (spark off the bench) last night,'' Harris said. ``And his getting into foul trouble early was a negative for us last night.'' Wednesday's game capped an exhausting day for the Lakers - they didn't get back to L.A. until 3:30 that morning after the team charter was delayed with mechanical difficulties in Portland. ``I didn't get to bed until 4:30,'' Robert Horry said. ``It screwed me up.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO (Color) Lakers' Corie Blount, left, defends against Golden State's Felton Spencer during the first half. Associated Press |
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