The 1991–92 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 44th season for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association, and their 32nd season in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers were coming from an NBA Finals defeat to the Chicago Bulls in five games in the 1991 NBA Finals.
Season summary
Off-season During the off-season, the Lakers acquired Sedale Threatt from the Seattle SuperSonics. In October, the Lakers played in the international McDonald's Open tournament in Paris, France, where Magic Johnson was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after helping the Lakers win gold.
Regular season This was the start of a new era for the Lakers as Johnson retired early into the regular season, after he announced that he was HIV positive. Starting the regular season without Johnson for the first time since the 1978–79 season, and with the addition of Threatt, the Lakers won 10 of their first 13 games, which included a nine-game winning streak in November, and later on held a 28–18 record at the All-Star break. However, the team struggled playing below .500 in winning percentage for the remainder of the season, posting a seven-game losing streak in February while posting a 3–9 record during that month. The Lakers ultimately finished in sixth place in the Pacific Division with a 43–39 record, which earned them the eighth seed in the Western Conference; it was their worst record since the 1975–76 season, as the team qualified for the NBA playoffs for the 16th consecutive year.
James Worthy averaged 19.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game, but only played 54 games due to a season-ending knee injury, while Sam Perkins averaged 16.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, and Threatt provided the team with 15.1 points, 7.2 assists and 2.0 steals. In addition, Byron Scott contributed 14.9 points and 1.3 steals per game, while A.C. Green provided with 13.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, and Vlade Divac averaged 11.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, but only played just 36 games due to a back injury. Meanwhile, sixth man Terry Teagle contributed 10.7 points per game off the bench, second-year forward Elden Campbell averaged 7.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game, and second-year guard Tony Smith provided with 4.4 points per game.
During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida, and despite his HIV infection, Johnson would briefly return to the NBA, as he and Worthy were both selected for the 1992 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team, despite controversy. Johnson scored 25 points along with 5 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals, and made all three of his three-point field-goal attempts, and was named the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player, as the Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference, 153–113. It was also the final All-Star appearance for both Johnson and Worthy. Head coach Mike Dunleavy finished tied in seventh place in Coach of the Year voting.
The Lakers finished seventh in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 699,240 at the Great Western Forum during the regular season.
NBA playoffs In the Western Conference First Round of the 1992 NBA playoffs, and for the second consecutive year, the Lakers faced off against the top–seeded, and Pacific Division champion Portland Trail Blazers, a team that featured All-Star guard Clyde Drexler, All-Star guard Terry Porter, and Jerome Kersey. However, without Worthy and Perkins due to season-ending injuries, the Lakers lost the first two games to the Trail Blazers on the road at the Memorial Coliseum, but managed to win Game 3 at home in overtime, 121–119 at the Great Western Forum. Game 4 of the series was played at the Thomas & Mack Center in Paradise, Nevada, home of the NCAA's UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team, due to the 1992 Los Angeles riots; the Lakers lost to the Trail Blazers, 102–76, thus losing the series in four games.
The Trail Blazers would lose in six games to the defending NBA champion Chicago Bulls in the 1992 NBA Finals.
Aftermath Following the season, Dunleavy resigned and took a coaching job with the Milwaukee Bucks, and Teagle was released to free agency.
Draft picks
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College 2 52 Anthony Jones Forward Oral Roberts
Roster
Regular season
Season standings
y - clinched division title x - clinched playoff spot
z - clinched division title y - clinched division title x - clinched playoff spot
Season summary The Lakers were the first team in NBA history to start the season with three straight overtime games, with their season opener being a double-overtime loss to the Houston Rockets. They went 1-2 during that time. After a third loss, to the Phoenix Suns, they went on a nine-game winning streak to finish November with an 11–4 record, which would be their longest winning streak of the season. They struggled in February, going 3–9, with a seven-game losing streak. They would finish the season with a 43–39 record, placing sixth in the Pacific Division and clinching the eighth and final seed for the playoffs.
Game log
Regular season
| 1 | November 1 | @ Houston | L 121-126 (2OT) | James Worthy (37) | A.C. Green (16) | James Worthy (7) | The Summit16,611 | 0–1 |- | 2 | November 2 | @ Dallas | W 114-113 (OT) | James Worthy (30) | Sedale Threatt (10) | James Worthy (14) | Reunion Arena17,502 | 1-1 |- | 3 | November 5 | L.A. Clippers | L 109-114 (OT) | Sedale Threatt (25) | Elden Campbell (12) | Sedale Threatt (8) | Great Western Forum16,618 | 1–2 |- | 4 | November 8 | @ Phoenix | L 85-113 | Terry Teagle (19) | Elden Campbell (14) | James Worthy (5) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum14,496 | 1–3 |- | 5 | November 10 | Minnesota | W 96-86 | Sedale Threatt (27) | James Worthy (14) | Sedale Threatt (9) | Great Western Forum16,833 | 2–3 |- | 6 | November 14 | @ Golden State | W 115-112 | Threatt & Worthy (21) | Sam Perkins (10) | Sedale Threatt (6) | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena15,025 | 3-3 |- | 7 | November 15 | Houston | W 86-74 | James Worthy (22) | Sam Perkins (11) | Sedale Threatt (10) | Great Western Forum16,956 | 4–3 |- | 8 | November 17 | Atlanta | W 111-89 | A.C. Green (26) | Vlade Divac (13) | Smith & Threatt (8) | Great Western Forum16,750 | 5–3 |- | 9 | November 19 | Phoenix | W 103-95 | James Worthy (22) | Sedale Threatt (8) | Sedale Threatt (7) | Great Western Forum16,558 | 6–3 |- | 10 | November 22 | San Antonio | W 98-96 | Scott & Threatt (18) | Vlade Divac (11) | Sedale Threatt (8) | Great Western Forum17,505 | 7–3 |- | 11 | November 24 | Milwaukee | W 102-97 | A.C. Green (25) | A.C. Green (7) | Sedale Threatt (10) | Great Western Forum16,820 | 8–3 |- | 12 | November 26 | @ Orlando | W 98-87 | James Worthy (25) | Elden Campbell (11) | Sedale Threatt (8) | Orlando Arena15,151 | 9–3 |- | 13 | November 27 | @ Miami | W 89-87 | Byron Scott (23) | Green & Perkins (8) | James Worthy (5) | Miami Arena15,008 | 10–3 |- | 14 | November 29 | @ Boston | L 91-114 | James Worthy (27) | Green & Perkins (12) | Sedale Threatt (6) | Boston Garden14,890 | 10–4 |- | 15 | November 30 | @ Philadelphia | W 93-91 | Sam Perkins (17) | Jack Haley (10) | Sedale Threatt (10) | The Spectrum18,168 | 11–4
| 16 | December 3 | @ Milwaukee | L 94-126 | A.C. Green (24) | A.C. Green (6) | Green & Worthy (3) | Bradley Center17,739 | 11–5 |- | 17 | December 4 | @ Charlotte | L 106-124 | James Worthy (28) | A.C. Green (9) | Sedale Threatt (10) | Charlotte Coliseum23,698 | 11–6 |- | 18 | December 6 | @ New Jersey | W 98-89 | Perkins & Worthy (22) | Sam Perkins (14) | Rory Sparrow (4) | Brendan Byrne Arena16,384 | 12–6 |- | 19 | December 8 | Dallas | W 103-88 | Green & Scott (16) | Sam Perkins (11) | Sedale Threatt (9) | Great Western Forum15,988 | 13–6 |- | 20 | December 10 | @ Sacramento | W 92-90 | Byron Scott (26) | A.C. Green (14) | Sedale Threatt (13) | ARCO Arena17,014 | 14–6 |- | 21 | December 11 | Utah | L 95-101 | James Worthy (33) | Sam Perkins (7) | Sedale Threatt (12) | Great Western Forum16,932 | 14–7 |- | 22 | December 15 | Sacramento | W 110-94 | Sam Perkins (23) | Sam Perkins (13) | James Worthy (8) | Great Western Forum16,131 | 15–7 |- | 23 | December 17 | @ Chicago | W 102-89 | James Worthy (25) | Sam Perkins (10) | Sedale Threatt (9) | Chicago Stadium18,676 | 16–7 |- | 24 | December 19 | @ Minnesota | L 85-93 | Perkins & Worthy (22) | A.C. Green (11) | Sedale Threatt (6) | Target Center18,402 | 16–8 |- | 25 | December 20 | @ Detroit | L 93-112 | Byron Scott (20) | Sam Perkins (10) | Rory Sparrow (9) | The Palace of Auburn Hills21,454 | 16–9 |- | 26 | December 22 | Phoenix | L 88-100 | Sam Perkins (28) | A.C. Green (13) | Threatt & Worthy (8) | Great Western Forum17,505 | 16–10 |- | 27 | December 25 | @ L.A. Clippers | W 85-75 | A.C. Green (20) | Green & Scott (11) | Sedale Threatt (6) | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena15,800 | 17–10 |- | 28 | December 28 | Portland | L 88-98 | James Worthy (21) | A.C. Green (14) | Sedale Threatt (6) | Great Western Forum17,505 | 17–11 |- | 29 | December 30 | Golden State | L 99-114 | Sam Perkins (23) | Sam Perkins (7) | Threatt & Worthy (7) | Great Western Forum17,505 | 17–12
| 30 | January 3 | Indiana | L 87-114 | Sam Perkins (15) | Sam Perkins (9) | James Worthy (8) | Great Western Forum17,280 | 17–13 |- | 31 | January 5 | Miami | W 123-111 | James Worthy (33) | A.C. Green (11) | Sedale Threatt (10) | Great Western Forum16,530 | 18–13 |- | 32 | January 7 | @ Dallas | W 104-80 | Terry Teagle (19) | Sam Perkins (13) | Rory Sparrow (6) | Reunion Arena17,083 | 19–13 |- | 33 | January 8 | @ San Antonio | L 87-103 | Sedale Threatt (17) | A.C. Green (11) | Scott & Worthy (3) | HemisFair Arena16,057 | 19–14 |- | 34 | January 10 | Denver | W 102-88 | James Worthy (26) | A.C. Green (12) | Sedale Threatt (11) | Great Western Forum17,000 | 20–14 |- | 35 | January 12 | Orlando | W 112-99 | Byron Scott (31) | Sam Perkins (15) | Sedale Threatt (11) | Great Western Forum16,119 | 21–14 |- | 36 | January 15 | Charlotte | W 95-93 | James Worthy (22) | A.C. Green (15) | Sedale Threatt (12) | Great Western Forum16,736 | 22–14 |- | 37 | January 18 | @ Seattle | L 108-122 | James Worthy (27) | Sam Perkins (9) | Scott & Threatt (4) | Seattle Center Coliseum14,533 | 22–15 |- | 38 | January 20 | Seattle | W 116-110 | Sam Perkins (25) | A.C. Green (16) | Rory Sparrow (7) | Great Western Forum17,236 | 23–15 |- | 39 | January 21 | @ Portland | L 92-131 | Sam Perkins (18) | A.C. Green (10) | Sedale Threatt (8) | Memorial Coliseum12,888 | 23–16 |- | 40 | January 23 | @ Sacramento | W 108-105 | Sedale Threatt (29) | A.C. Green (14) | Sedale Threatt (5) | ARCO Arena17,014 | 24–16 |- | 41 | January 24 | Sacramento | W 95-92 | Scott & Teagle (22) | Sam Perkins (14) | Sedale Threatt (8) | Great Western Forum16,949 | 25–16 |- | 42 | January 29 | Golden State | W 112-99 | James Worthy (21) | A.C. Green (12) | Sedale Threatt (5) | Great Western Forum17,041 | 26–16 |- | 43 | January 30 | @ Denver | W 106-96 | Byron Scott (28) | A.C. Green (9) | Sedale Threatt (5) | McNichols Sports Arena14,707 | 27–16
| 44 | February 2 | Chicago | L 97-103 | Green & Perkins (25) | Sam Perkins (11) | Sedale Threatt (8) | Great Western Forum17,505 | 27–17 |- | 45 | February 3 | @ Phoenix | L 104-113 | Sedale Threatt (27) | Elden Campbell (10) | Sedale Threatt (5) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum14,496 | 27–18 |- | 46 | February 5 | L.A. Clippers | W 100-95 | Sam Perkins (25) | A.C. Green (9) | Sedale Threatt (11) | Great Western Forum17,049 | 28–18 |- align="center" |colspan="9" bgcolor="#bbcaff"|All-Star Break |- |- bgcolor="#bbffbb" |- | 47 | February 11 | @ Minnesota | W 116-108 | Sam Perkins (27) | Sam Perkins (17) | Sedale Threatt (12) | Target Center19,006 | 29–18 |- | 48 | February 13 | @ Utah | L 91-97 | James Worthy (24) | A.C. Green (11) | Threatt & Worthy (4) | Delta Center19,911 | 29–19 |- | 49 | February 14 | Washington | L 92-108