Lakers’ St. Nick Delivers

CHARLOTTE, N.C. â€”  This was Nick Van Exel in stealth mode, wreaking havoc, but in control. This was almost strange.

“It was different,� even he had to admit.

But typical enough for the Lakers. Van Exel took over another game by scoring 11 of their final 16 points to make the difference in a 109-100 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

“Tonight was one of his most masterful performances, I thought, all around,� Coach Del Harris said. “He’s had a lot of good games, so I don’t want to say it was his best. But it was nice.�

Usually, when Van Exel dominates the scoreboard, it comes with a flurry of three-point shots. He had three from behind the line against the Hornets as the Lakers went from Friday’s win at Atlanta to their second consecutive down-the-stretch victory in about 24 hours, but it was more than that.

Van Exel played 38 minutes, getting 11 assists without a turnover. He made nine of 17 shots, including six of nine from inside the arc. He was four of five in the fourth quarter, when he scored half his team-high 24 points, a number bettered only by the 32 from Hornet Glen Rice.

It came against a team that does a good job at forcing turnovers and not allowing opponents to shoot well. And then the Lakers, showing no sign of fatigue coming off a victory against the Hawks that wasn’t decided until the final second, committed only 12 turnovers and shot 54.7%.

“I think it was more solid, for me and the team,� Van Exel said of his showing compared to some of his other big nights. “I had my share of assists, no turnovers. And I still took a few out-of-control shots. But, all in all, I think I ran the ballclub pretty well.�

Pretty well?

“Nick was just fantastic,� Harris said.

Never more than after the Hornets had trimmed a 10-point deficit with 6:32 remaining to two, 93-91, with 3:23 left. That’s when the flurry hit.

A driving layup.

A runner down the lane, just after Vlade Divac’s three-point play got the Hornets within 95-94, part of the 17 points and 18 rebounds by Divac against his former team.

Robert Horry, having struggled this season from behind the arc, made a crucial three-point shot, and Van Exel followed with a 17-footer from the left side. Then he made a three-pointer from the right side that made the score 105-98 with 40 seconds left, effectively ending any Hornet comeback hopes and forcing them to foul. He even took advantage of that, making a pair from the line with 21.6 remaining just after Rick Fox had done the same.

Eight possessions, counting one that ended in a turnover, in the final 3:06. Four baskets by Van Exel, in four tries. Two free throws.

“You always see him do it,� said teammate Eddie Jones, who contributed 19 points as one of seven Lakers in double figures. “I don’t pay that much attention [to how he gets them]. I just see the ball going through the basket, whether on runners or three.�

Said Charlotte’s Matt Geiger: “Nick Van Exel just rose to the occasion and hit some tough shots. I thought our defense down the stretch was tough, but they just hit some tougher shots.�

The Lakers shot 64.3%--nine of 14--in the decisive final period, putting them at 3-1 on the five-game trip that ends Monday in Houston and in position to have a tremendous journey. It ends now against a team they have already defeated twice and after a day off to rest, especially earned considering the two games that came before.

“When we came out on the trip . . . I thought this would be the hardest to win of all five we had,� Harris said. “We were playing a real good basketball team here.

“I watched them beat Chicago here. All of their five-game win streak [ended at Washington the night before], I saw four of them and thought they looked terrific. So I’m really proud of this victory tonight. There were so many heroes, it hard to list them all.�

But it wasn’t hard to pick someone for the top of the list.