HOUSTON -- Magic Johnson gives the Los Angeles Lakers one of the most envied offenses in the NBA. Defense, however, has propelled the Lakers into the Western Conference semifinals.
Johnson scored 24 of his 38 points in the second half Tuesday night and Los Angeles forced a critical Houston turnover with 16.9 seconds left, giving the Lakers a 94-90 victory and three-game sweep of the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs.
'What I don't understand is that nobody talks about our defense,' said guard Byron Scott, who hit the go-ahead jumper with 16.9 seconds left. 'We haven't given up 100 points in the playoffs yet. Sometimes, you have to just concentrate on playing solid defense.'
Houston, down 90-88 after Scott's jumper, attempted to inbound the ball from halfcourt, but Otis Thorpe could not get the ball over Sam Perkins, and referee Wally Rooney called a 5-second violation before Thorpe could get another timeout.
'I counted five seconds and blew my whistle,' said Rooney. 'That's when Otis called time out. I'd already called the violation. Pure and simple.'
Houston Coach Don Chaney was unsure.
'It was awfully close,' Chaney said. 'I'll have to see the tape over and over, but I thought we had it. We just can't leave a guy out of bounds stranded.
'I hate to see the season end the way it did. I'd like to see the players decide on the floor the final outcome. This brings up the idea of instant replay.'
Chaney said the same thing after Game 1 in Los Angeles when Scott hit a disputed jumper in the final seconds that proved to be the difference. Chaney argued the shot came after the 24-second clock expired.
But Los Angeles Coach Mike Dunleavy attributed his team's success to defense and Johnson's efforts Tuesday.
'We were in full denial,' Dunleavy said. 'We wanted Sam on the ball because of his long arms. We did not want to give an easy pass.
'Going into the second half, the Rockets had outplayed us. We just tightened up. Magic took over and pushed the ball up the floor. It really helped our momentum and morale.'
James Worthy finished with 22 points, and Perkins added 14, including two free throws to seal the win for the Lakers, who advance to the conference semifinals against either San Antonio or Golden State.
The Lakers improved to 24-1 in first-round games since the NBA expanded to a 16-team format in 1984.
Hakeem Olajuwon and Thorpe each scored 21 points for the Rockets, who were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round for the fourth straight season.
'I'm still in shock,' Olajuwon said. 'I don't like making excuses. Two of three games could have gone either way. I never thought we would be swept.'
Johnson scored 16 third-quarter points, helping the Lakers, who trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half, to a 66-65 lead entering the fourth quarter.
The Lakers opened a three-point lead with 4:40 left, and Houston closed within one on two occasions before Vernon Maxwell sank a 3- pointer with 2:04 left. Johnson turned the ball over, and Kenny Smith hit a jumper to give Houston an 86-84 edge with 1:35 left.
Perkins hit a jumper to tie the score, then both teams exchanged baskets before Smith missed a 19-footer and Perkins rebounded with 30.8 seconds left.
Scott dropped an 18-foot jumper from the side with 16.9 seconds left for a 90-88 Los Angeles lead.
The Rockets then could not inbound, and Perkins sealed the win with two free throws with 11.7 seconds left.
'I don't know what he (Rooney) was looking at,' Thorpe said. 'It came down to one of those times when the officials controlled what happened. The thing that bothers me is that we ended our season too soon.'
The Rockets, who at 25-9 had the second-best record in the NBA after the All-Star break, led by as many as 10 points in the first half -- their biggest lead in the series -- but could not maintain the pace.
Johnson scored the first two baskets of the half, and his 3-point play with 8:16 left in the third quarter capped a 14-6 run that gave Los Angeles a 55-54 lead, its first since the opening quarter.
'This is the time of year I love,' Johnson said. 'This is what Magic's all about. I just did what I do best, and that is take it to the basket.'
The lead changed hands five times the rest of the third quarter, with Los Angeles taking a 66-65 lead entering the fourth.
Houston was cold from the field in the third quarter, hitting just 9 of 24 from the field (38 percent), while the Lakers shot 52 percent (11 of 21).
In the first half, Thorpe scored 17 points and Maxwell added 10, including a pair of 3-point jumpers, to help Houston to a 46-39 lead at halftime.
Maxwell's 3-point jumper with 5:11 left in the half gave the Rockets a 39-29 lead.
