ANOTHER LAKER LAPSE SHAQ MISSES ALL 11 FREE THROWS IN SETBACK SEATTLE 103, LAKERS 95.Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer If a horrific loss can have an encore, this was it. Make that the encore to the encore. The Lakers, whose two toughest defeats came in the last week, produced a third Friday night. On top of the 33-point blowout in Seattle and the overtime collapse in Oakland, they added a 103-95 loss to the SuperSonics, and this one was no easier to take than the others. They never led after the first quarter, rarely put together consecutive defensive stops and witnessed the worst free-throw shooting performance in recent memory. 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). , who showed improvement at the foul line foul line n. 1. Baseball Either of two straight lines extending from the rear of home plate to the outer edge of the playing field and indicating the area in which a fair ball can be hit. 2. this week after tutoring by his shooting coach, suddenly regressed. He missed all 11 of his free-throw attempts. But O'Neal's 26 points led the Lakers, who were forced to rely on him when 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. lost his touch. Bryant, who was averaging 42 points in his previous four games, went 8 for 25 from the field to finish with 19 points. Bryant has been held under 30 just twice in the last seven games - both against the Sonics. Isaiah Rider Isaiah Rider, Jr., sometimes known as J.R. Rider (born March 12, 1971 in Oakland, California) is an American former NBA basketball player, who played from 1993–2001. The 6'5" (1. , returning from his one-game benching, scored 16 points in 28 minutes. The loss ended the Lakers' 10-game home winning streak Noun 1. winning streak - a streak of wins streak, run - an unbroken series of events; "had a streak of bad luck"; "Nicklaus had a run of birdies" . Seattle became the first team to beat them twice this season. The Lakers trailed continuously from early in the first quarter, fighting back from several double-digit deficits only to slip again. Seattle opened the fourth with a 7-0 burst to extend the lead to 89-76. That seemed to roust roust tr.v. roust·ed, roust·ing, rousts To rout, especially out of bed. [Probably alteration of rouse.] O'Neal. He dunked once, dished dished adj. 1. Concave. 2. Slanting toward one another at the bottom. Used of a pair of wheels. Adj. 1. dished - shaped like a dish or pan dish-shaped, patelliform concave - curving inward to Brian Shaw Brian K. Shaw (born March 22, 1966 in Oakland, California) is a former professional basketball player. The 6' 6" Shaw could play both guard spots, but was used primarily at point guard over the course of his 14 seasons in the league. for a 3-pointer, dunked again, and hit Mike Penberthy for a 21-footer. Rider hit a 3-pointer and O'Neal scored again to complete a 14-3 run that brought the Lakers within two points with 5:25 to go. But just as quickly, the offense sputtered. Rider and Penberthy missed four straight shots on a single possession, and Seattle extended the lead again 96-90. Bryant's attempt from the baseline was blocked by Patrick Ewing, leaving Bryant screaming for a foul. At the other end, Gary Payton got a 3-point play off his fast-break layup and it was a nine-point deficit with 1:39 to go. Payton led the Sonics with 25 points. Seattle took an 82-76 lead into the fourth quarter after closing out the third on a controversial noncall. Penberthy received an inbounds in·bounds adj. 1. Basketball Involving putting the ball into play by passing it from out of bounds to a teammate on the court. 2. Sports Within the designated boundaries. pass with 0.8 seconds left and appeared to get clobbered by Payton as he tried to launch a 3-point shot. But referee Steve Javie signaled there was no foul as the buzzer sounded, and the interval between quarters was filled with a prolonged chorus of boos. In two days since the Lakers' collapse at Golden State, all the talk was of Rider's malfeasance The commission of an act that is unequivocally illegal or completely wrongful. Malfeasance is a comprehensive term used in both civil and Criminal Law to describe any act that is wrongful. , but coach Phil Jackson's mind was on a different, more disturbing trend. He still had not talked with Rider about the Wednesday night benching - ``It's not a priority'' - and was less concerned about Rider's demeanor than the team's defensive lapses. ``I talked to the whole team, that's my priority,'' Jackson said. ``I talked to them about playing defense, that's the next priority that we have as a team - find a way to play defense after a couple of shellshocking defeats here in the last week.'' CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Isaiah Rider of the Lakers passes the ball off after running into inside defensive pressure from the Seattle SuperSonics. Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer Box: Game Recap |
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