LAKERS CAN'T CHANGE ENDING; RAMBIS' TINKERING DOESN'T PREVENT LAST-SECOND LOSS: SACRAMENTO 111 LAKERS 109.Byline: Howard Beck Daily News Staff Writer Kurt Rambis Darrell Kurt Rambis (born February 25, 1958 in Cupertino, California) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers. shook up the lineup, shook up the offense, shook up the rotation and anything else he could get his hands on Friday night, shaking the Lakers' foundation so furiously he could have changed his last name from Rambis to Richter. But after several temblors, all the Lakers coach could do was shake his head. After playing near-perfect basketball for the first half against the Sacramento Kings, the Lakers tanked the third quarter, then collapsed in the closing seconds of the fourth, turning an early double-digit lead into a 111-109 loss before a packed house at the Forum. Chris Webber's off-balance putback of a Vlade Divac Vlade Divac (Serbian Cyrillic: Владе Дивац, pronounced [ˈvlaːdɛ ˈdiːvaʦ] off-the-mark 3-pointer with four-tenths of a second left gave the Kings the dramatic win. And negated a series of changes Rambis had installed to snap the Lakers out of their recent mediocrity. Rambis started the night by thrusting Dennis Rodman into the lineup for the first time this season. That change came a day after he force-fed his team a change in offensive philosophy, emphasizing more movement. Everything Rambis did seemed to pay off when the Lakers reversed their trend of slow starts and played their best first half in recent memory against the Kings. All it took was a horrific third quarter to make it all seem irrelevant. After leading by as many as 19 points in the first half, and by 16 at halftime, the Lakers surrendered 40 points in the third quarter and trailed the Kings heading into the fourth. A chorus of boos accompanied them off the floor. Webber finished with a game-high 29 points and 10 rebounds, and Divac scored 23 for the Kings. 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. led the Lakers with 26 points, and 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). added 24. The outcome wasn't exactly what Rambis envisioned when he made the changes. ``Well, if we get blown out in the first quarter by 50 points in the next two ballgames then (the new lineup) probably won't stay very long,'' he said before tipoff. ``But if we jump out to 50-point leads in the first quarter I might just stick with it.'' A 10-point lead sufficed as progress for a team that has been nodding off in the opening period. With Rodman starting, and a new-and-improved, movement-oriented Lakers offense clicking in steady rhythm, the Lakers took a 30-20 lead by the end of the first quarter. By halftime, the Lakers had a 62-46 advantage, a 26-14 rebounding advantage, were shooting 55.6 percent and had 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 out 16 assists with their suddenly unselfish play. And Rambis seemed to be building a portfolio for a coach-of-the-year nomination. It all came apart in the third quarter. The Lakers' defense disappeared, surrendering 13 points to Corliss Williamson Corliss Mondari Williamson (born on December 4, 1973 in Russellville, Arkansas) is a retired American professional basketball player, who played for four teams during his 12-year NBA career. His nickname is "Big Nasty", a moniker he received from his cousin when he was 13. and 75 percent shooting to the Kings, who outscored the Lakers 40-23. The Lakers trailed by six points with about two minutes left in the game. Then Glen Rice Glen Anthony Rice (born May 28 1967, in Flint where he played for Flint Northwestern High School, Michigan) is a retired American NBA basketball player. Rice was a three-time NBA All-Star small forward well known for his pinpoint shooting accuracy, ranking 4th in NBA history with took over, scoring seven straight points, including a 3-pointer, to give the Lakers a 108-106 lead with 57.7 seconds remaining. J.R. Reid made one of two free throws to push the lead to three points, only to see it wiped out when Vernon Maxwell This article is about the American basketball player. For the American football player, see Vernon Leroy Maxwell. Vernon Maxwell (born September 12, 1965, in Gainesville, Florida) is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the NBA from 1989-2001, drained a 3-pointer over Robert Horry Robert Horry (born August 25, 1970 in Harford County, Maryland) is an American National Basketball Association basketball player. Currently playing for the San Antonio Spurs, Horry is is known for his ability to make clutch shots in big games. . CAPTION(S): Photo, Box Photo: (Color) Sacramento's Jason Williams Jason Williams can refer to any of the following people:
Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News Box: GAME RECAP |
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