LAKERS STICK IT TO SPURS AGAIN L.A. TAKES CHARGE IN REPLAY OF MAY LAKERS 98, SAN ANTONIO 81.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

SAN ANTONIO - So many missing pieces, so much tonnage not in the building. The image was incomplete, the anticipated rematch not all it could have been Saturday afternoon, when the Lakers sauntered into the Alamodome to restoke a rivalry.

Shaquille O'Neal wasn't here, a couple of key Spurs were in street clothes. So no one will make much of the results, though the Lakers did restore their sense of self-worth - and probably damaged the Spurs' - with a resounding 98-81 victory.

So a Shaq-less week ended with just one slip-up in three games, and with one of the Lakers' more impressive wins this season. O'Neal's suspension for flicking Brad Miller's ear is over and he'll return to a more content locker room.

``We've been able to turn this negative into a positive,'' Kobe Bryant said.

With Bryant leading the way - 28 points, seven rebounds, five assists - the Lakers bounced back quickly from Wednesday's deflating home loss to Miami, proving once more that they save their best efforts for the best teams.

And that their sweep of the Spurs last May was no fluke.

``Certain things we do against this team just work,'' Rick Fox said. ``And it's up to them to figure out something different. Until they do, we're going to keep doing it.''

The Lakers skillfully negotiated an early nine-point deficit, took control in the second quarter and never trailed in the second half. They made Tim Duncan disappear, pushed David Robinson into fourth-quarter purgatory and, using heavy doses of Mark Madsen and Slava Medvedenko, somehow kept the Spurs from dominating the middle.

``We had a fortunate day today,'' coach Phil Jackson said.

When the final buzzer sounded, after the Lakers had used an 11-0 fourth- quarter run to put the game away, the Spurs were left with dazed expressions and few answers.

Samaki Walker, the San Antonio expatriate who combined with Robert Horry to hold Duncan to four points in the second half, wore only a satisfied smile. Walker said Friday that the Spurs had stopped believing they could beat the Lakers last spring and he saw it even more clearly Saturday.

``It looked really familiar,'' said Walker, who signed with the Lakers in July. ``And I know the feeling inside that locker room right now. It's probably, 'Oh no, not this again.' And really, being the first (rematch), without Shaq, I bet they really were shocked today the way we were able to come in and beat them.''

The Lakers got 11 points from Derek Fisher, a 12-point effort from Medvedenko and eight points each from Madsen and Horry. The defense held Duncan to 9-for-21 shooting and made Robinson, who re-signed for $20 million last summer, look like the worst investment in Texas since Enron.

Outhustled and outscored by Madsen, Robinson didn't play the fourth quarter and finished with four points in 23 minutes.

``As Dave gets older, the twin-tower threat isn't that much of a threat,'' Fox said.

And next time the teams meet, this Friday at Staples Center, O'Neal will be back on the court.

``Whether Shaq is playing or not is irrelevant,'' Spurs coach Greg Popovich said. ``You have to play for 48 minutes. A couple of people didn't show up.''

The other culprit was offseason acquisition Steve Smith, who's shooting 50 percent from 3-point range this season but on Saturday scored just 11 points and missed all four shots from behind the arc.

With their reserves on the floor, the Lakers let the Spurs cut the deficit to 83-77 midway through the fourth. Then Bryant hit a 3-pointer, followed his own blocked shot with a short jumper and the lead was back to 11 points. Fisher stripped Duncan and took off for a fast-break score to make it 90-77, and the Spurs withered.

``You could see heads being hung,'' Walker said. ``And right there, you know you have a team, where the life slowly fades during the duration of the game, and you could see it, one through five out on the court.''

NO SHAQ, NO WORRIES

Shaquille O'Neal's three-game suspension for fighting ended Saturday. Here's how the Lakers fared without him:

--Wins: 2

--Losses: 1

--Avg. points per game: 104.7

--Avg. opponents points per game: 88.0

--FG percentage: .455

--Opp. FG percentage: .439

--Rebounds per game: 43.3

--Opp. rebounds per game: 42.0

--Kobe Bryant points per game: 37.7

CAPTION(S):

photo, 2 boxes

Photo:

The Lakers' Devean George, who scored seven points, goes to the basket against the Spurs' Antonio Daniels on Saturday.

Gloria Ferniz/Associated Press

(1) NO SHAQ, NO WORRIES (see text)

(2) GAME RECAP