Lakers Just Keep Walking Fine Line : Pro basketball: They hold off Nuggets and pull even with Rockets for the last playoff spot.

They’re b-a-c-k!

It wasn’t quite triumphant, but the Lakers pulled themselves back into a tie with Houston for the last Western Conference playoff spot Monday night.

They blew a 20-point lead over the Denver Nuggets before Coach Mike Dunleavy settled on the right combination--three guards, no Vlade Divac--and struggled to a 100-93 victory.

The Rockets, who contributed mightily to the Lakers’ cause by losing a home game Saturday to Dallas, are still effectively ahead because they own the tiebreaker over the Lakers.

So far, though, it’s no duel of the titans.

“It’s a victory but I’m not happy with that game at all,” Dunleavy said.

“The last minutes of the first half, we played like ‘It’s over.’ We gave them all the life in the world in the second half.”

All the blame for a spotty team effort can’t possibly accrue to one bearded face.

Let’s just say Divac was in the wrong spot at the wrong time a lot Monday night.

With Divac starting, the Nuggets (23-56) took a 13-4 lead.

Dunleavy yanked him six minutes into the game, sending in Terry Teagle. The three-guard lineup proceeded to torch the Nuggets, 44-21, seemingly wrapping things up before halftime.

With Divac back at the end of the second quarter, the Lakers boosted a 50-34 lead to 60-40 . . . then let the Nuggets go 6-0 to close the half.

With Divac starting the third quarter, the Nuggets trimmed the 60-46 lead to 62-52 in 3:02 before Divac picked up his fourth foul and Dunleavy could send Teagle in for him again.

“Our smaller lineup is the best against this team,” Dunleavy said. “I’ve got to get Vlade playing well, but I can’t take too much time to do it. If he’s not playing well, I’ve got to go with the other lineup. He knows that. He just has to get more aggressive and more physical.”

The Nuggets plummeted into the game with a 10-game losing streak and 6-31 second-half record.

Prize rookie Dikembe Mutombo was home in Denver, having undergone surgery on a thumb.

Said Coach Paul Westhead a couple of days ago: “We just can’t get it done without him.”

Six minutes into the game, the Nuggets were up, 13-4, and Dunleavy had visions of Dallas dancing in his head.

At this point, Dunleavy yanked Divac, whose line was three shots, three misses, two turnovers.

The Lakers then built their 20-point lead late in the second quarter before the Nuggets came back, finally tying the score, 68-68, with 2:33 left in the third quarter.

At 68-68, A.C. Green sank a 20-footer.

Then Byron Scott stripped Marcus Liberty, starting a fast break, took a pass at the other end from Sedale Threatt, drove for a layup and was fouled. He made the free throw and it was 73-68.

The Nuggets twice drew within two points in the fourth quarter, but got no closer.

“We’re not better than the Lakers,” Nugget center Scott Hastings said. “They’re more talented, but we played as hard as they did tonight and fell a little short.”

The same teams meet Wednesday at Denver.

At least, the Lakers won’t go in overconfident.

Laker Notes

Byron Scott led the Lakers with 20 points, including three three-pointers. Sedale Threatt had 13 points and 13 assists, A.C. Green 14 points, 10 rebounds. . . . Vlade Divac scored 30 points April 5 against the Suns, has 26 in four games since. . . . Scott, on fighting for the last playoff spot: “Five games remaining--the eight years I’ve been here we’ve always been resting.”