Robinson Roughs Up Los Angeles

With Dennis Rodman benched by his coach - and chatting and laughing with a fan during the game - the San Antonio Spurs moved within one victory of the first Western Conference finals.

David Robinson scored 26 points, grabbed 22 rebounds and played his usual excellent defense before fouling out with 1:18 remaining Sunday, leading the Spurs past the Los Angeles Lakers 80-71.

The Spurs, who led from start to finish, hold a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven playoff series and can win it by beating the Lakers in Game 5 on Tuesday night in San Antonio.

If necessary, Game 6 will be at the Forum on Thursday night and Game 7 in San Antonio on Saturday.

Rodman angered Spurs coach Bob Hill when he failed to participate in a huddle during the second half in Game 3 Friday night. After being replaced, he took his shoes off, wrapped a towel around his head and proceeded to lie down on the court.

About 45 minutes before Sunday’s game, Hill said he hadn’t yet made up his mind if Rodman would start.

Hill’s decision would soon be clear, and Rodman spent the day at the end of the San Antonio bench and often wasn’t even paying attention to the game.

“There’s a lot of things I do that people take out of context,” Rodman said. “I just go with the flow. I’m not your average basketball player that lets everything affect me.

“I do a lot of things that a lot of players don’t do on and off the court and be looked at as I’m not being professional. … I’m too much of a child. I just do what makes Dennis Rodman go. It’s not really hurting anybody.”

Terry Cummings replaced Rodman in the starting lineup and had six points and nine rebounds. J.R. Reid, who also played in Rodman’s forward spot, had all but one of his 15 points in the second half, when the Lakers scored only 32 points.

“It was a disciplinary move,” Hill said of the decision to not start Rodman. “I was going to use him if we had needed him. I had a quick discussion with the (coaching) staff at one point in the third quarter. We just didn’t need him.

“We have played without him before. J.R. Reid played a great game. That’s the way we have to play. We changed our coverages. That caught them off guard a little bit. It was like chess today.”

The Lakers made only 27 field goals - an all-time playoff low - in 75 attempts, and their 71 points equaled a single-game playoff low. The Spurs didn’t shoot much better, making 32 of their 78 floor shots.

When asked about Rodman’s status for Game 5, Hill said: “We’ll get on the plane and digest what happened. Dennis doesn’t hold grudges and neither do I. We’ll re-evaluate the situation.”

Sean Elliott had 14 points and six rebounds and Avery Johnson had 12 points and seven assists for the Spurs.

Vlade Divac led the Lakers with 14 points, but he had only three rebounds. Elden Campbell had 12 points and five rebounds for Los Angeles.

Nick Van Exel and Cedric Ceballos, who combined for 47 points in the Lakers’ 92-85 victory in Game 3, scored just eight and seven points, respectively in Game 4.

“We played good enough defense to be in the game,” Lakers coach Del Harris said. “I thought we hurt ourselves with poor ball movement. Maybe they were shooting lousy and we were shooting lousy, I don’t know.

“That’s the way it should be (in the playoffs), both teams guarding each other. We just didn’t have anybody get into a rhythm.”

Spurs 80, Lakers 71

SAN ANTONIO (80)

Cummings 2-10 2-4 6, Elliott 6-19 2-3 14, Robinson 11-25 4-6 26, Del Negro 1-2 0-0 2, Johnson 5-9 2-4 12, Person 1-3 0-0 2, Reid 5-6 5-6 15, Rivers 1-4 0-0 3. Totals 32-78 15-23 80.

L.A. LAKERS (71)

Campbell 6-12 0-0 12, Ceballos 3-11 0-0 7, Divac 5-12 4-6 14, Peeler 3-7 2-4 10, Van Exel 4-16 0-0 8, Jones 4-9 1-3 10, Bowie 0-0 2-2 2, Lynch 1-6 3-4 5, Smith 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 27-75 12-19 71.

San Antonio 27 19 15 19 - 80 L.A. Lakers 17 22 12 20 - 71

3-Point goals-San Antonio 1-9 (Rivers 1-2, Person 0-2, Elliott 0-5), Los Angeles 5-24 (Peeler 2-5, Smith 1-2, Jones 1-3, Ceballos 1-6, Divac 0-1, Lynch 0-1, Van Exel 0-6). Fouled out-Robinson. Rebounds-San Antonio 58 (Robinson 22), Los Angeles 51 (Lynch 8). Assists-San Antonio 20 (Johnson 7), Los Angeles 21 (Peeler, Van Exel 5). Total fouls-San Antonio 21, Los Angeles 25. A-17,505 (17,505).