Magic Out, Injures His Hamstring : He May Be Sidelined for at Least Week; Lakers Lose

It was a typically artistic Magic Johnson drive, a darting, twisting foray through the lane late in the third quarter Wednesday night that resulted in a Laker basket.

But that will be Johnson’s last drive for an undetermined period. For when he touched down, Johnson gave a painful grimace and grabbed his left leg in what later was diagnosed as a partially torn left hamstring.

The loss of Johnson, perhaps for a minimum of a week, coincided with the Lakers’ 121-118 loss to the Golden State Warriors in a type of finish that has become Johnson’s specialty.

Johnson suffered the hamstring tear while planting his left foot on the layup. The Lakers said he definitely will miss Sunday’s All-Star game in Houston and will be examined again Monday. Laker trainer Gary Vitti said the degree of Johnson’s injury fell somewhere between moderate and severe, but he said a time-frame for his return could not be established.

But Laker Coach Pat Riley talked as if he already accepted the fact that Johnson will miss some games.

“It doesn’t look good,” Riley said of Johnson’s injury. “I’m not a doctor, but from what I understand, the injury will keep him out indefinitely.”

The Lakers do not play again until Tuesday, when they host the Detroit Pistons in a replay of last season’s NBA championship series.

Will Johnson be ready for that game?

“Not unless Gary Vitti is a miracle trainer,” Riley said. “Well, we’re optimistic it’s not going to be a real long time, but we don’t want to take chances with it. It’s a long season.

“We’ve got a lot of talent on our team. Earvin is obviously a crucial player, and we hope it’s a short period of time. But we’ll deal with it and move on.”

On this night, the Lakers (32-15) could not successfully deal with the Warriors (25-19), who gave the Lakers problems with or without Johnson in the lineup.

The Lakers trailed, 91-88, with 1:57 to play in the third quarter when Johnson left the game and was escorted off the court. But even without their leading scorer and floor leader, the Lakers immediately responded with a 9-0 run that gave them a 97-91 lead going into the fourth quarter.

For the next six minutes, the Lakers maintained a slim lead, eight points being their biggest advantage.

But then came the final minutes and the Lakers, without Johnson’s guidance, wilted amid the Warriors’ pressure. The Lakers still held on to a 115-110 lead with 1:48 to play when Byron Scott, making his first appearance since Jan. 24 after a urological disorder, sank a two free throws.

However, the Warriors rallied and converted turnovers by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Scott into points. Terry Teagle’s tip-in off Steve Alford’s miss gave the Warriors a 118-117 lead with 25 seconds to play.

Seven seconds later, Scott missed a jump shot under duress, and Chris Mullin was fouled after grabbing the rebound. Mullin sank both free throws, giving Golden State a 120-117 lead with 13 seconds to play.

Wanting to avoid a Laker three-point attempt, the Warriors immediately fouled Tony Campbell after he received the inbounds pass from Michael Cooper. Campbell made only one of the two free throws, cutting the margin to two points. And, after Rod Higgins sank one free throw with 10 seconds, the Warriors had a 121-118 victory.

Teagle was the major reason the Warriors won at the Forum for the first time in 11 tries. He made 17 of his game-high 35 points in the third quarter. Mullin added 28 points and 11 assists, while guard Otis Smith contributed 18 points as a fill-in for injured Mitch Richmond (lower back strain).

The Lakers received 30 points from James Worthy and 28 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds from Johnson.

Those are standard statistics for Johnson. But it seems the Lakers will have to live without them for an indeterminate time.

“It’s a time loss injury,” Vitti said. “How much time, I don’t know. It depends on how he reacts to treatment.”