Net Result Is Victory for Lakers : Pro basketball: Scott scores 25 as L.A. overcomes a 38-point first half to beat New Jersey for the 14th time in a row at the Forum, 101-92.

In a world where the balance of power is shifting, in countries and on NBA courts, the Lakers suspended time for at least one night by proving that solace can still be found at home in the New Jersey Nets.

Without them Wednesday night, the Lakers could have slipped half a game behind the Clippers and out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Instead, the Lakers defeated the Nets, 101-92, before a crowd of 17,215 at the Forum.

The Nets, though much improved of late under Coach Bill Fitch, are now 1-18 against the Lakers at the Forum. They have lost 14 in a row in Inglewood, dating to 1978.

These Nets don’t go down without a fight. They entered the game with a four-game winning streak and had won six of seven. They had 27 victories, more than they totaled all last season, and only three fewer than the Lakers.

And, for a while, the Nets had the upper hand, taking a four-point lead at halftime after overcoming four 10-point Laker leads.

But after scoring a season-low 38 points in the first half, shooting 33% from the field in the process, the Lakers responded with a 40-point third quarter to take control of the game. The 40 points tied a season high for points in a quarter.

“We came out in the third quarter and went to our motion game,” Laker Coach Mike Dunleavy said. “We got 40 points, which is basically our biggest quarter of the year. It’s something we will build on.”

The Lakers totally frustrated the Nets in the third quarter. New Jersey was called for five technical fouls in 12 minutes. It started with forward Derrick Coleman midway through the quarter. Then came the coach. With 6:40 left, after disagreeing with an offensive foul call on Sam Bowie, Fitch was hit with two quick technicals and was ejected.

“If I told you guys how bad it was (the official’s call), well, you know, I already paid for it by getting thrown out. Give the Lakers credit. They played back-to-back and got a win that they really needed. They played hard. I think we needed a reminder. We got it tonight.”

Bowie left his reminder at the end of the third quarter. With one second left in the quarter, Bowie was ejected with two technicals after being called for his fourth personal foul.

By the time it was all over, the Lakers had taken a 78-66 lead into the fourth quarter and made it stand up.

The Nets cut the lead to 89-82 late in the game, but Byron Scott made a three-point shot with 4:06 remaining to build the lead back to 10. And that was all for the Nets.

Scott led all scorers with 25 points, making six of 13 shots (three of four on three-point attempts) and 10 of 11 free throws.

“I had the inside and the outside,” Scott said. “It was working tonight. In the second quarter, we lost our intensity. We just told ourselves at halftime to play with the same intensity that we started the game with.”

Laker Notes

The Lakers won despite shooting 39% from the field. . . . It must have been wishful thinking before the game when injured forward James Worthy, dressed in street clothes on the bench because of a sprained left knee, was inadvertently introduced as a starter. Worthy played along briefly, taking a few playful steps toward midcourt. . . . Magic Johnson was not on the Laker bench Wednesday night, but he did shoot around before the game after returning from an East Coast trip. . . . Guard Terry Teagle was hit in the eye during the first half and left the court, but he returned to play in the second half. Laker Coach Mike Dunleavy said Teagle’s eye will probably be examined again today.

Hard to believe some people wanted to run New Jersey Coach Bill Fitch out of town in December. “The guys that hired me told me just to go do your job and don’t listen to what you’re hearing,” Fitch said before the game. “But I may have got the golf clubs out to see if the grips were still good.”

After scoring a career-high 25 points against Portland on Tuesday, Elden Campbell scored only four points in 34 minutes against the Nets. . . . Vlade Divac, struggling to regain his form and stamina after returning from back surgery, played 27 minutes Wednesday night. “I thought he was dragging his leg,” Dunleavy said. “He was tired, but (the doctors) said we have to play him some when he’s tired. I thought, particularly on back-to-back nights, he did well.”