Numbers Don’t Tell the Story on Brown

The Lakers’ Kwame Brown held his ground against Shaquille O’Neal and bothered Tim Duncan to no end, so it only made sense he would draw Kevin Garnett when Minnesota came to town.

The edge, somewhat surprisingly, might have tilted in Brown’s direction.

Garnett made only four of 14 shots, was held to 16 points, more than four below his average, and acknowledged he was not in rhythm Wednesday because of Brown.

“He played a hell of a basketball game,” said Garnett. “He’s out there working hard, just like I’m out there working hard.”

Brown doesn’t have the tenacity and reaction skills of Detroit center Ben Wallace. Nor does he have the speed/strength combination of Phoenix forward Shawn Marion.

But he does muscle players out of the post, a sumo wrestler more than a leaper and blocker. His defensive numbers are mild compared to Wallace and Marion -- only 5.6 rebounds and 0.6 blocked shots a game -- and his offense continues to lag, but his physical post presence is invaluable to the Lakers.

Last week, in a rare victory in San Antonio, he helped hold Duncan to 12 points.

“I don’t think people appreciate the defense he gives us,” Phil Jackson said. “We certainly understand that he makes it difficult for people on the block. He has a strong body and he can hold guys off the block and contest shots.”

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Luke Walton has continued to combine more playing time with timely playing.

His emergence from a season-long slump is pretty much official. Walton scored nine points in 23 minutes against Minnesota and made a three-point shot with 1:06 left to give the Lakers the lead for good.

“Probably two or three months ago, I would not have had the confidence to take that,” he said. “I have been playing a lot more relaxed lately.”

TONIGHT

at New Jersey, 4:30 PST

(tape delay, 5:30, Ch. 9)

Site -- Continental Airlines Arena.

Radio -- 570, 1330.

Records -- Lakers 34-32, Nets 35-28.

Record vs. Nets -- 0-1.

Update -- The Nets lead the Atlantic Division, the weakest in the Eastern Conference. The Nets held Portland to five points in the fourth quarter Wednesday, the second-lowest output in a fourth quarter since the 24-second shot clock was installed in 1954.