Lakers looking to generate upward mobility

The Lakers began their final regular-season stretch with the NBA’s sixth-best record, a position nobody would have predicted three months ago after they started 8-0.

But with 24 games to go, the Lakers (39-19) are behind San Antonio (46-10), Boston (41-14), Miami (42-15), Dallas (40-16) and Chicago (38-16).

The obvious goal between now and April 13: move ahead of as many teams as possible.

“We’d like to finish first, there’s no doubt about it,” Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said, “but I don’t know if it’s available to us.”

It’s unlikely at best. The Lakers are eight games behind San Antonio.

Then again, is it really that important to have the NBA’s best record? Almost certainly, though the Lakers have been lucky the last two seasons.

They had the third-best record going into last season’s playoffs but ended up with home-court advantage against Boston in the NBA Finals after the Celtics eliminated Cleveland and Orlando.

Two seasons ago, the Lakers had the NBA’s second-best record but had home-court against Orlando in the NBA Finals after Cleveland got bumped by the Magic in the conference finals.

The winner: Denver

The deal of the day, if not the season, finally happened, and Jackson had an opinion on which team had the better end of the Carmelo Anthony trade: New York sent too much to Denver.

“I thought it was kind of a heavy price to pay,” Jackson said. “It gives Denver a team that’s well-balanced — two players at every position.”

Anthony and Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups were the particulars in the deal that sent Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari and rookie Timofey Mozgov to Denver. The Nuggets also received three draft picks, including the Knicks’ first-round selection in 2014.

The Knicks weren’t total losers, Jackson said.

“I think New York may not benefit right off the bat but it will help them out at some level,” he said. “[Anthony] is a good shot-maker at the end of games. I think that’s one of the issues Denver will have, how to finish games without having Chauncey and Carmelo there.”

The Lakers do not play New York again in the regular season but play Denver in early April at Staples Center.

Even though this was simply a trade, Jackson said he hoped one particular free-agency component would be targeted with the new collective-bargaining agreement.

“The big key is whether kids are going to get together now and say ‘I’ll meet you in such-and-such city in three years when we’re both free agents’ and collude together,” Jackson said. “Owners can’t do it. Are they going to prevent players from doing it?”

Ring bling

Atlanta reserve forward Josh Powell became the last of the former Lakers to receive his 2010 championship ring.

Powell, averaging 4.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in his first season with the Hawks, received a pleasant ovation from fans when he was presented his ring before the Hawks-Lakers game Tuesday at Staples Center.

Jordan Farmar (New Jersey) and DJ Mbenga (New Orleans) picked up theirs earlier this season when their new teams came to town. Adam Morrison received his ring through the mail after the opening-night ceremony at Staples Center.

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com

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