Lakers Charge, Then Fade : Pro basketball: Van Exel scores 35 and keys 20-0 run, but Suns prevail, 118-108.

Yes, Nick Van Exel played in the second half Wednesday night.

Boy, did he.

Leading the Lakers back from a 20-point deficit in the third quarter, Van Exel scored 19 of his game-high 35 points in the second half and finished with seven three-point baskets.

That was enough to erase any negative feelings that might have lingered from Monday’s problems at Portland, but not enough to beat the Phoenix Suns, who held on for a 118-108 victory before a sellout of 17,505 at the Forum.

Or as Charles Barkley said after getting 24 points and 10 rebounds to help the Suns even the season series at one game each: “We proved our point. Now let’s go home.”

Van Exel had 11 of the Lakers’ 30 three-point tries, which set a team record for attempts. He made four of five in the second half while going seven for 11 overall.

All it got, however, was the Lakers close enough to turn a blowout into an exciting game. In the end, even with Phoenix’s Kevin Johnson home because of a leg injury, the Lakers had a 10-point loss and their first losing streak since Nov. 11-12.

“I shot the ball well, but we still came up with a loss,” said Van Exel, who also had seven assists. “We didn’t make the shots down the stretch. We kind of run out of gas.”

Because it took so much to get back in the game?

“I think that hurt us a lot,” he said. “It seemed like when we were getting the ball down low, but the guys weren’t making the baskets because they had no legs. But we did make a good run at it. You can’t take anything away from that.”

The Suns, who built a 10-point lead in the second quarter only to have it evaporate, pulled away again to open the second half, this time going up by as many as 20 points, at 86-66. Then the Lakers answered again.

Elden Campbell’s dunk made it 86-68, at which time the points started to come only from the point guard.

Van Exel warmed up innocently enough, with a pair of free throws.

Then came a three-pointer from the right side.

Next possession: a three-pointer from the left side that brought a wince to defender Elliot Perry.

Next possession: a pull-up three-pointer between two defenders, Perry and Wayman Tisdale, from the right side, just in front of the Sun bench. That came with 0.6 seconds left in the quarter, cutting Phoenix’s lead to 86-79.

In the fourth quarter, Tony Smith made two free throws and Cedric Ceballos converted a layup. Two possessions later, Van Exel got into the open court with only Tisdale in front of him. He headed down the right side and made a quick cross-over in the lane, switching to the left side and left hand for a layin while being fouled, bringing the crowd to its feet.

Van Exel made the free throw, capping a 20-0 charge for the Lakers that tied the score at 86.

“We got to what I thought was the top,” Harris said. “It wasn’t the top. There was more to climb.”

The euphoria, and the chance to beat the Suns for the fourth time in a row at the Forum, was short lived. Ahead 90-88, Phoenix went on a 12-3 tear of its own to build a 102-91 lead with 6 1/2 minutes left. Fittingly, the Lakers’ only points in that stretch of about three minutes was a three-pointer from Van Exel.

Laker Notes

The Lakers moved to put the Nick Van Exel-Del Harris “miscommunication” behind them--once and for all. The two talked at the morning shoot-around and, the coach says, resolved whatever differences might have come out of Monday’s incident, when Harris said Van Exel declined to play the second half at Portland, only to have Van Exel respond the next day he said no such thing. “It was good,” Harris said of the talk. “The only thing I have to say relative to the past is we took care of business, as we always do, in house. We have a no-embarrassment policy as we’re concerned. Things are fine with Nick and all parties involved.” Which means the Lakers may or may not have fined their second-year point guard, though most likely they did. Harris said he would not take any more questions on the subject, but emphatically denied a report that Van Exel swore at him when the two clashed on defensive strategy during the halftime discussion. “I’m not going to deal any more with history,” he said. “We’ll deal with Phoenix. Everything is settled.” . . . The Suns’ A.C. Green played in his 682nd consecutive game to move into a fifth-place tie with Harry Gallatin on the NBA’s all-time ironman list.