Brown Looks Like a King for the Day

Kobe Bryant scored plenty of points, to no one’s real surprise, and so did Kwame Brown.

Surprise.

The Lakers defeated the Sacramento Kings, 87-80, and took over seventh place in the Western Conference, while Brown showed what he could do Wednesday at Staples Center.

Brown, a rebound and five assists from a triple-double Monday against Boston, had a season-high 21 points and 12 rebounds against Sacramento in the biggest game so far this season for each team.

A loss, and the Lakers would have started off their cushy end-of-season schedule with another home defeat. Instead, they moved a game ahead of the Kings with nine of their final 12 to be played at Staples Center.

There were plenty of sources in victory, plenty of places to sprinkle credit.

Bryant, after taking 39 shots Monday against Boston, made an efficient 11 of 20 shots and had 28 points Wednesday.

Lamar Odom continued to be dependable, if not driven, again creeping up on his first triple-double as a Laker and finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

Above all, there was Brown.

If timing really is everything, his recent effort is that much more notable. Chris Mihm is out until at least the first week of April because of a severely sprained ankle, leaving Brown as the only healthy Laker center with extensive experience.

He was supposed to be a liability on offense, but then he made eight of 12 shots against Sacramento. He had looked hurried and nervous when he got the ball in the post, and then came tranquillity, and some prospering, on Wednesday.

He had struggled to make his free throws, but then, well, there’s still some work to be done -- he was only five for 10 Wednesday.

The Lakers will take it, all of it, maybe with a few more made free throws.

“We told him before the game, they don’t bother to guard him, that if he was active he was going to find some things around there,” Laker Coach Phil Jackson said. “He really did. He found some opportunities tonight.”

That this game mattered could be traced to the two-hour film session Jackson put the Lakers through after they returned from Boston on Tuesday morning.

That this game was important could be seen the way the Lakers crashed the boards in building a 20-point lead.

That the Lakers are still vulnerable with a lead was obvious when the Kings closed to within five in the final minute.

But Bryant made a fadeaway 16-footer off an inbounds play as the shot clock wound down to put the Lakers ahead, 87-80, with 40.8 seconds to play.

Nine days ago, the Lakers gave up 114 points in a one-sided loss in Sacramento.

They forced 19 turnovers Wednesday and gave up more than 22 points in only the second quarter.

“You’ve got to look at that score and feel good about it,” Jackson said.

Said Bryant, perhaps understating things a bit: “We had a good film session yesterday.”

In it, Laker coaches pointed out that Brown was often left unguarded by King center Brad Miller, who would help track Bryant.

So Brown, averaging 6.1 points before the game, took it upon himself to score a little more.

“With Chris being out, and he is going to be out for a month, I did not want there to be a letdown for my teammates,” Brown said. “I know my role has changed a little bit because I have to go in and score. I have to do a little bit more on the offensive end.”

Said Jackson: “He’s steadily been playing better and better as he’s felt more comfortable in there playing that role. Good job for us tonight defensively, but offensively we really needed some help scoring-wise.”

The first quarter was the best of the Laker season, Bryant ending it emphatically with an 18-footer over two defenders in the final seconds, pushing the Lakers to a 30-14 lead.