Christie Breaks the Spell in Debut : Lakers: He overcomes the jitters while playing nine minutes during 101-95 victory over 76ers.

PHILADELPHIA â€”  Doug Christie was welcomed to the NBA with a misspelled jersey and Manute Bol’s spindly arms in his face, rejecting the lone field goal the Laker rookie attempted during a 101-95 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers at the Spectrum on Friday night.

Those embarrassing moments aside, Christie--whose jersey said CHRISITE--considered his Laker debut a moderate success.

That was fitting, because the Lakers (32-27) played only moderately well against a 76er team regrouping under new Coach Fred Carter.

“I wasn’t scared, but I didn’t realize how long he was,� Christie said of Bol, the 7-foot-7 Philadelphia center. “I mean, I’ve seen it, but until you get in there and see it, you don’t believe it. He sent that shot back post-mail.�

Christie, the rights to whom were acquired from the Seattle SuperSonics on Feb. 22 and who signed two weeks ago, was activated Friday after Alex Blackwell was put on the injured list. Christie played nine minutes, six during the first half and three during the fourth quarter. He had one rebound, one assist, one blocked shot and one turnover during the Lakers’ second victory in the three games on this trip.

“For the time I was out there, I thought I did a pretty good job,� said Christie, who played small forward. “I don’t think I hurt the team, but I didn’t help, either. I’m glad this is over with and I’m just looking forward to the next game.�

His first-game jitters were apparent. Christie kicked the ball once and bobbled it once during his second stretch, which coincided with a 10-5 surge that gave the 76ers an 87-86 lead with 5:52 to play. But he still got favorable reviews from Laker Coach Randy Pfund and from his teammates.

“I think we saw a little bit of his quickness out there (despite) a couple of mishandles of the ball,� Pfund said. “Doug was a little bit nervous, maybe. They were trapping when he was on the floor, and that was tough.�

Said Vlade Divac, who had team highs with 20 points and 12 rebounds: “He didn’t play a lot of minutes, but I know how he can play, so I’m happy he’s part of this team. He plays defense very well.�

His teammates didn’t. The 76ers, who are 1-2 under Carter, outrebounded the Lakers, 30-15, during the first half and 48-36 overall. Two offensive rebounds enabled Clarence Weatherspoon to make a layup to cut the Lakers’ lead to 92-91 with 3:29 to play. Divac made a three-pointer after a Laker timeout, but the 76ers stayed within two points when Armon Gilliam made two free throws.

“We’re playing good basketball, and once we get tough enough mentally down the stretch, we will win our fair share of games,� Carter said.

The Lakers were marginally tougher. A.C. Green was fouled by Gilliam with 29 seconds to play and made two free throws--after making only six of his previous 11--to put the Lakers ahead, 99-95. Elden Campbell, who tied his season high with five blocks, grabbed two of his seven rebounds in the last minute to help keep the Lakers above .500 (16-15) on the road.

“I think we can play better basketball than that,� Pfund said. “We got a win tonight, but I really challenged the guys. If we’re going to do as well as people expect of us, we’ve got to do better than this on a nightly basis. We can do something special, and I’m going to keep pushing this club.�

There was no question Friday was a special night for Christie, whom the Lakers consider a vital part of their future. And although he didn’t score and he didn’t escape Bol’s reach, he did one crucial thing right.

Christie was so nervous at Friday morning’s shoot-around, he feared he would forget part of his uniform Friday night, and he vowed to check the mirror before leaving the locker room. He remembered all his clothing; so what if he forgot to look at the back of his jersey and never saw the misspelling?

Said Green: “I’m just happy he put (his jersey) on right and he didn’t put on two left shoes.�

It’s been done. Look under Benjamin, Benoit, in the NBA book of gaffes.

Laker Notes

Coach Randy Pfund, annoyed by Wednesday’s 28-for-41 display from the free-throw line, said the first player to miss a free throw Friday night would have to watch the rest of the game in street clothes. Although the Lakers were 27 for 40 against the 76ers, he didn’t carry out that threat. “And I sure wasn’t going to remind him,� A.C. Green said. . . . Green played only 35 minutes, after averaging 46.8 in his previous five games. . . . The Lakers swept the season series from the 76ers, 2-0, for the sixth time in eight seasons.