Lakers Going Like a Streak

The Lakers are beginning to look more like a playoff team, slowly but steadily, winning the home games they’re supposed to win, against the teams they’re supposed to beat, with just enough drama to approach, but not pass, the theatrics that have accompanied so many home losses this season.

Retaining half of their 10-point fourth-quarter lead, the Lakers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, their seventh-place counterparts from the Eastern Conference, 101-96, Friday at Staples Center.

Kobe Bryant had 43 points on 12-for-26 shooting, and Kwame Brown followed up his best effort of the season with 16 points and nine rebounds.

The Lakers hadn’t won three consecutive games since the middle of January, but that’s now accomplished, and they ran their home record to 19-13, with eight of their final 11 to be played at Staples Center. They also moved 1 1/2 games ahead of Sacramento for seventh in the West.

Staples Center has been an adventure for the Lakers this season, with confounding losses to luckless Atlanta and Boston, and late-minute losses to Chicago, New Jersey, Houston and Memphis (twice).

One home victory does not a trend make, however, in Phil Jackson’s world.

“It’s too soon to talk about it,” the Laker coach said. “We’ve got to win one more [Sunday against New Orleans], then have an opportunity to play a great game [Thursday] against San Antonio and win. Then we can feel a little bit stronger on our home court.”

The Lakers led, 83-73, with 11:16 to play, but the Bucks slowly whacked at the lead, pulling to within 93-90 on free throws by Joe Smith.

But Smush Parker poked the ball away from Michael Redd, Devean George scooped it up and fed a blind over-the-head pass to Parker, who was streaking downcourt for an uncontested dunk. The Lakers led, 95-90, with 46.5 seconds to play.

It still wasn’t over.

Bobby Simmons made a three-pointer with 41.4 seconds to play to bring the Bucks to within two, but Brown pulled down a rebound of Parker’s miss with 22.5 seconds left, and Bryant made two free throws after being fouled.

“They made that little run at the end and we had to make some plays,” Jackson said. “Kwame got an [offensive] rebound that really changed the complexity of the game for us.”

Bryant made 14 of 14 free throws after nine games without more than 10 free-throw attempts. Some of them came late as the Bucks were fouling to stop the clock, but Bryant will take it.

“It feels good to be able to get back to the free-throw line, have confidence that when I attack the basket, people aren’t going to have the liberty of just hitting me,” Bryant said.

The Lakers began to separate from the Bucks in the first quarter, taking a 35-22 lead as Bryant had 17 points and Brown had nine.

But then came a generous second quarter, the Lakers turning around and giving the Bucks a 35-point quarter and a 57-53 halftime lead.

Odom, on a tear shooting-wise this month, continued to hit from near and far, making three three-pointers in the third quarter and pushing the Lakers to a 79-73 lead going into the fourth.

Brown wasn’t quite as sharp as his 21-point, 12-rebound effort Wednesday against Sacramento, but he delivered a nimble one-handed dunk off a lob pass from Odom and made six of 10 shots.

The Bucks were pointless, so to speak, with starting point guard T.J. Ford out because of a quadriceps injury and backup Mo Williams out because of a sprained ankle. But Charlie Bell, in his second NBA season, ran the offense well enough, finishing with 15 points, seven assists and seven rebounds.

Led by reserves Toni Kukoc (13 points) and Dan Gadzuric (11 points), the Bucks got a healthier boost from their bench than the Lakers, outscoring them, 36-10.

Jackson was more irritated by the three-for-all by the Lakers, who made 12 of 31 from three-point range. Parker made one of six and Sasha Vujacic was one of five from three-point range.

“Too many threes,” Jackson said. “Too much settling out there for outside shots.”