Lakers’ Win Is Too Close for Comfort : Johnson, Green Help Salvage the Decision Over Dallas, 106-103

Strange as it may seem, Laker Coach Pat Riley gathered his players for an unconventional, if not unprecedented, address after Friday night’s game at the Forum.

“I told the players not to feel bad about winning,” Riley said.

Yes, some nights, it can happen to the best of teams. Even at home, even against a seemingly overmatched opponent. It is what makes the National Basketball Assn. regular season interesting.

Actually, what Riley meant to say was that the Lakers (45-18) should not fret that they did not win in the manner to which they are accustomed at home. Another blowout would have been more acceptable to the Lakers, but they seemed satisfied and relieved to pull out a 106-103 victory over the Dallas Mavericks before a crowd of 17,505.

Laker expectations are such that anything less than domination at home is viewed as somewhat of a disappointment.

But the Lakers’ second consecutive close Forum win did extend their streak to six games and kept them within one game of the Detroit Pistons for the league’s best record.

In the end, Riley said, that was all that mattered.

“I just sort of sensed that they weren’t happy,” Riley said. “They have certain expectations at home. They usually have beaten teams much more easily. I told them that, from now on, every game at home will be tough.”

That is because teams such as the Mavericks (31-32) are fighting for playoff positions. After Friday night, the Mavericks remain a half-game behind Portland for the eighth, and final, Western Conference playoff spot.

Had it not been for late heroics for the second consecutive game by Magic Johnson and A.C. Green, the Lakers might have been feeling bad about a home loss, rather than merely a narrow victory.

Appearing sluggish after a three-day break in the schedule, the Lakers squandered a 12-point third-quarter lead and trailed the Mavericks, 100-96, with 3:37 to play.

But that turned out to be the Mavericks’ last lead. And Johnson and Green took over, just as they had in Monday night’s 97-96 victory over the Houston Rockets.

Johnson finished with 31 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds for his second consecutive triple-double, and Green had 20 points and 15 rebounds.

Johnson, using the self-dubbed “junior, junior” sky hook, gave the Lakers a 104-102 lead with 18 seconds left. Maverick guard Rolando Blackman had a chance to tie it with two free throws but he made only one with nine seconds left.

And Green, as he did four nights earlier, sank two free throws in the waning seconds to secure the victory.

The Lakers were pushed to that point because they made only six of 26 shots from the floor in the last quarter.

Needing a basket after trailing, 100-96, the Lakers went to James Worthy, who missed a jump shot. Johnson got the rebound, but he missed a follow.

Green then emerged from the crowd underneath to grab an offensive rebound and draw a foul. He sank both free throws to pull the Lakers within two, 100-98.

The Mavericks, whose hot shooting enabled them to take the lead a few minutes earlier, then went cold. They missed four shots in their next two possessions.

With a chance to tie, the Lakers went to Johnson, who missed the attempt but later drew a foul after Abdul-Jabbar grabbed a rebound. Johnson then sank a pair of free throws to tie it, 100-100.

Green followed Johnson’s missed three-point shot to put the Lakers ahead, 102-100, with 49 seconds remaining. Sam Perkins, who had 25 points, tied it for Dallas before Johnson put the Lakers ahead again.

Laker Notes

The Lakers’ last two victories have been by a total of four points. Before that, however, they had not won a game by fewer than nine points since Dec. 28. . . . Magic Johnson’s triple-double, his second straight, was his 13th of the season and 108th of his career. He made 10 of 18 shots, a considerable improvement over Monday night’s 4-of-23 performance. Johnson made all 11 free throws Friday night, giving him a streak of 31 straight. . . . A.C. Green, on making clutch free throws: “I’m just trying to go through my basic fundamentals--the arc on the shot, not doing what I do when I miss. You can’t think about it too much. In my mind, I have faith that I can make a free throw.” . . . The two three-point baskets by Byron Scott gave the Lakers 166 three-point field goals for the season, a club record. The previous mark of 164 was set during the 1986-87 season. . . . The Lakers swept the season series from the Mavericks, four games to none, for the first time since the 1980-81 season, when the Mavericks were an expansion team.