TWO CHEERS FOR HORRY LAKERS' FORWARD MAKES WINNER AT BUZZER FROM SAME SPOT OF PAST GLORY LAKERS 97, INDIANA 95.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

Al Harrington now knows the shock and shame of being Vlade Divac. The Indiana Pacers now know the pain the Sacramento Kings suffered last spring. And the Lakers, perhaps, now can sense they are just about ready for the playoffs.

The score was tied late Wednesday night, there were seconds to go, Staples Center was keyed up and Robert Horry was meandering around his usual happy place beyond the 3-point arc. Something special usually happens in times like these.

Horry did it again.

Harrington slapped a pass intended for Shaquille O'Neal out of the paint, the ball skipped out to the perimeter and Horry did a dead-on impression of himself, from Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference finals. The ball skipped straight to him, and Horry, standing on the left side with a foot on the arc, launched a perfect shot at the buzzer, delivering a 97-95 victory.

Horry had to laugh at the deja vu as he trotted back downcourt, grabbed by Samaki Walker and Tracy Murray. Then he danced off the court and into the tunnel.

Kobe Bryant hit what appeared to be the game-winning 3-pointer as Ron Artest fouled him with 2.8 seconds left. But referee Eddie F. Rush immediately waved off the shot, saying Artest committed the foul before Bryant began to launch it.

So Rick Fox inbounded one more time, tossing a high pass into the paint for O'Neal. Harrington and Horry did the rest.

O'Neal finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Bryant had 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

The Lakers opened the second half with a 17-point lead but were outscored 32-20 in the third quarter and staggered into the final quarter. While O'Neal and Bryant misfired, the Pacers mounted an 11-0 run and took a 95-91 lead with 1:11 to play.

Derek Fisher scored on consecutive driving layups to tie the score 95-95 with 31.3 seconds left. Jermaine O'Neal missed a 10-footer trying to shoot over Shaquille O'Neal - who celebrates his 31st birthday today - he was treated to a pregame serenade by the Laker Girls. And he looked determined not to show his age. He eagerly roughed up Brad Miller, Jeff Foster and, briefly, Primoz Brezec.

After taking a back seat for most of the past five weeks, O'Neal badly wants to regain his preeminence in the offense. But he was stymied by Seattle's defense Friday, and early in Wednesday's game, by foul trouble. O'Neal was on the bench with two fouls just 4 1/2 minutes after tipoff.

Though O'Neal took back the scoring load, Bryant added another honor to his growing list - youngest to score 10,000 points. Bryant reached the milestone with a 6-foot runner late in the third quarter. Public address announcer Lawrence Tanter called attention to the mark a few seconds later, and Staples Center erupted with a roar, a standing ovation and a few ``MVP'' chants.

Bryant broke into a grin and got congratulatory slaps from Derek Fisher and Reggie Miller.

Another Bryant streak came to an end, however. He failed to reach 30 points for the first time in 17 games, a streak that dated back to Jan. 29.

At one time the Pacers masqueraded as the class of the Eastern Conference. But they arrived in L.A. having lost seven of their past eight games. They soon showed why.

Young, brash and often teetering on the edge of recklessness, the Pacers committed a ton of early fouls, and the Lakers built a 19-point lead in the first half.

Foster had four fouls by halftime and was ejected late in the third quarter after committing his second flagrant foul of the game. Foster crushed Devean George on a drive to the rim, earning a second-degree flagrant. He received a first-degree flagrant for knocking Fox to the floor on a driving layup in the second quarter.

Artest and Miller had three fouls apiece in the first half, and the Lakers went to the line 22 times.

It was Artest who had concerned Jackson the most. The hyperaggressive, sometimes-crazy Pacers swingman is known more for breaking cameras and his suspensions this season, but he's a tough defender and gave Bryant fits at times last season.

``I've talked to Kobe about the defensive prowess of Artest and that he can't get in a personal confrontation with him, because this guy is a terrific defensive player and they've had some history between their two games last year when he was in Chicago,'' Jackson said.

O'Neal demanded more shots after getting only 13 in Friday's loss at Seattle. He had just eight attempts in the first three quarters Wednesday, but that was mostly due to the Pacers' collapsing, clumsy defense. He took 10 free throws in the first half.

``We know Shaquille is going to face double-teams and triple-teams and Indiana does like to get the ball out of his hands,'' Jackson said. ``So it might not even be those two guys (O'Neal and Bryant) that have to carry us in scoring. It's going to be the other guys that have to step up and take advantage of the defensive thrust that Indiana makes in the game.''

Fisher tried to be the one early and missed his first four shots. Be he quickly snapped the slump, making six of his next 10 attempts and finished with 19 points.

STORY LINES

Off day

Kobe Bryant reached 10,000 points but wasn't at his best. He scored 20, which broke his string of at least 30 points at 16 games.

Local ties

Of the six youngest players to reach 10,000 points, four - Bryant, Bob McAdoo, Shaquille O'Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - were Lakers at one time.

Two-man team

No one other than Bryant or O'Neal has led the Lakers in scoring in a game this season. O'Neal scored a team-high 26 Wednesday.

HOT FISH

Derek Fisher, who made two key baskets down the stretch, finished with 19 points. That equals his sixth-best performance of the season.

Numbers

53-32

The Pacers' run in the third and fourth quarters to turn a 17-point deficit into a four-point lead. In the end, it was all for naught.

YOUNGEST GUN

On Wednesday, Kobe Bryant became the youngest player to reach 10,000 points in NBA history.

Kobe Bryant, Lakers - 24 years, 193 days

Bob McAdoo, Buffalo - 25 years, 148 days

Shaquille O'Neal, Lakers - 25 years, 341 days

Michael Jordan, Chicago - 25 years, 343 days

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee - 25 years, 344 days

Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Atlanta - 26 years, 17 days

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 4 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal, right, blocks a shot Wednesday by Indiana's Ron Artest.

(2) Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (8) drives between Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal (7) and Ron Mercer.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) STORY LINES (see text)

(2) WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

(3) YOUNGEST GUN (see text)

(4) GAME RECAP