By The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES – As the final seconds ticked away in yet another Los Angeles Lakers loss, the Staples Center crowd unleashed its frustration, booing the home team off the court.

Derision, and losses, have been rare in these parts where the Lakers are concerned, especially since the arena opened 61/2 years ago.

The Lakers have been one of the glamour franchises in professional sports for years, featuring such outstanding duos as Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and, more recently, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

They aren’t very glamorous right now. Mediocre would be a better description. And the situation might not change for a while, because salary cap problems figure to keep the Lakers from adding high-priced talent in the next few years.

“They’ve certainly had great success. That’s a tribute to the Buss family,” said Lakers coach Frank Hamblen, elevated to the position when Rudy Tomjanovich resigned Feb. 2, citing health concerns.

The Lakers are learning how the other side lives. The negative crowd reaction came last Sunday, when they lost to Philadelphia for their eighth straight loss – a streak that’s all but eliminated them from playoff contention.

“Ain’t no 34 here no more,” 76ers star Allen Iverson said, referring to O’Neal. “So it’s no surprise.”

The Lakers hadn’t lost more than four straight since dropping a franchise-record 10 in a row to finish the 1993-94 season, when they failed to make the playoffs for the only time since 1976.

“We knew the situation we had ahead of ourselves,” Bryant said. “The thing that we couldn’t predict, though, was all the injuries and the coaching change and stuff like that.

“It hurts, but it’s a process. I’m sure everybody’s as frustrated as I am. But when we get back up to the top, it’s going to make it that much sweeter.”

After beating New York to snap their losing streak, Hamblen acknowledged the Lakers’ postseason hopes were slim, saying they could play a spoiler’s role since several of their final 11 games are against teams jockeying for playoff position. The Lakers as spoilers?

What a comedown.

They’re on the verge of becoming only the second team in 29 years to reach the NBA Finals one year and fail to make the playoffs the next, joining the 1999 Chicago Bulls.

Somewhere far away, O’Neal has to be smiling when considering the fate of his former team. When Phil Jackson took over as coach before the 1999-2000 season, the Lakers were known more for underachieving than winning – a talented group in need of a strong leader. Jackson provided that, guiding them to three straight championships and another berth in the NBA Finals in a five-year span before leaving last June. And O’Neal demanded a trade after refusing Buss’ offer of a two-year contract extension. O’Neal was swapped to Miami for three players, turning the Heat into an instant championship contender. Two days later, Bryant signed a seven-year contract to return after seriously considering a move to the Clippers.

Many blamed Bryant for the exodus of Jackson and O’Neal, and still do.

Not Hamblen.

“I think it was a business decision that the franchise made,” the coach said, adding that he’s had no problems with his star player.

While coexisting, Bryant and O’Neal had problems getting along. At times, their differences got ugly.

“You always hope a relationship will mend,” Hamblen said. “It didn’t, so here we are.”

Tomjanovich signed a five-year contract last summer. When he stepped down, the Lakers were 24-19 and in playoff contention even though Bryant was on the sidelines with a severely sprained ankle that eventually caused him to miss 14 games.

They’ve slumped badly since, thanks in great part to a tough schedule, and bring a 33-38 record into the weekend.

Magic 103, Nets 102

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.- Refusing to quit despite all sorts of adversity, the Orlando Magic mounted several comebacks and defeated the New Jersey Nets 103-102 to clinch the tiebreaker between the teams.

Steve Francis had 33 points, five assists and seven rebounds for Orlando, which won the season series 3-1 with a gutty performance befitting of a team fighting to make the playoffs.

Rookie Nenad Krstic scored a career-high 28 points and Jason Kidd had 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Nets. Kidd had a chance to give New Jersey the win, but missed an open 20 footer from the right corner with 2 seconds left.

Heat 111, Hornets 99

NEW ORLEANS -Shaquille O’Neal had 34 points and 15 rebounds, Dwyane Wade scored 33, and the pair combined for more than a dozen dunks to help the Miami Heat defeat the New Orleans Hornets 111-99.

Spurs 95, Lakers 94

SAN ANTONIO – Brent Barry banked in a running layup with 6.7 seconds left to lift the San Antonio Spurs to a 95-94 win over the reeling Los Angeles Lakers.

Kobe Bryant had a chance to win it, but missed an 18-footer off the back rim at the buzzer.

The Lakers have lost 10 of 11, including seven straight on the road. San Antonio swept the series between the teams for the second time in three years. Los Angeles is now 33-39. The last time they were this far under .500 in April was in 1994.

Bulls 112, Bobcats 97

CHICAGO – Othella Harrington scored 22 points and the Chicago Bulls won their ninth straight game with a 112-97 win over the Charlotte Bobcats.

The Bulls easily extended their season-high winning streak and moved 10 games over .500 despite missing two players. Chicago moved a half-game behind the Washington Wizards for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.