COLD COMFORT : LAKERS, PEELER GET HOT IN ICEBOX LAKERS 102, ATLANTA 89.

Byline: Marc Stein Daily News Staff Writer

The world will be here soon. Friday, it was just the Lakers, who arrived from sunny Florida and anointed Atlanta the perfect host city for the Olympics.

The Winter Olympics.

Having failed to pack their parkas and mittens, the visitors could have been numbed by the icy courtside temperature at the Omni. Actually, for almost three quarters, they were. Then it became evident that, as well as they're playing, the Lakers are too hot to be beaten. Or frozen.

Braving a nonstop blast of arctic air that was trained on their bench, and a hockey-like chill on the floor, the Lakers used a season-high 25 points from Anthony Peeler and another near triple-double from Magic Johnson to chip out a 102-89 victory over the Atlanta Hawks before a bundled-up sellout crowd of 16,378.

``I'm still cold,'' Lakers coach Del Harris snapped afterward.

Cold but contented, with yet another road win - three straight to start a six-game trip and 14 of 16 overall - to take into the hot shower awaiting him at the team hotel.

Seemingly on the verge of a meltdown just days ago, the Lakers (44-25) almost look stronger now than they did before Cedric Ceballos bolted for a desert resort in Arizona without permission.

To go with a monumental triumph at Orlando on Tuesday night and Wednesday's solid follow-up in Miami is Friday's success, which saw L.A. score the final 10 points of the third quarter to erase Atlanta's 70-60 lead.

Halfway through the fourth, it was over, after a long 3-pointer by Peeler and Johnson's rebound basket off a missed Peeler layup made it 89-79 for the Lakers.

Those two and Georgia native Sedale Threatt were the second-half catalysts - Peeler and Threatt combining for 16 fourth-quarter points and Johnson working up to some gaudy final totals: 16 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

Plus, Magic did it in a season-high 42 minutes, seizing on his only competitive basketball this year in this town in the wake of his withdrawal from Dream Team III consideration.

``A.P. could be complaining about a lot of things,'' Johnson said of Peeler, who has been lucky to get 20 minutes a night the way Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones have been clicking.

``He's just so happy to be a part of the team. He hasn't complained once. Sedale, a true professional. Same thing.''

The implication was clear. Johnson wanted it known that not everyone who's had to sacrifice minutes for The Comeback has responded with an unexcused absence.

By contrast, Peeler and Threatt have waited patiently for their chances, knowing that if they can just get on the court, there will be plenty of open looks at the basket while Johnson draws double-teams in the paint.

That's just how it happened here in the frozen tundra, after a frigid first half. Johnson missed his first five shots and Van Exel wasn't hitting either, prompting Harris to scan the reserves.

``It ain't like we haven't started off slow before,'' said Van Exel, refusing to use the climate - in a building that houses the minor-league Atlanta Knights of the International Hockey League - as an excuse.

Because of Peeler, the Lakers wound up not needing any. He scored half the points in a 12-2 run to close the third and added 10 points in the fourth. Which surprised no one, after Peeler's 5-of-7 shooting in Orlando and 4-of-5 effort in Miami. In those games, he was 5 of 7 on 3-pointers.

``The guys on this team don't even complain about playing time,'' said Peeler, temporarily forgetting Ceballos. ``We're too tight of a family to even look at minutes.''

``It's a rather circuitous route, but we're playing well (again),'' Harris said. ``There's nothing like a little road kill, I tell you. It gives your team confidence and camaraderie.''

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PHOTO (color) Lakers center Vlade Divac loses control of th e ball as the Hawks' Mookie Blaylock, left, plays defense. Maybe it was too cold to hang onto the ball.

Associated Press