For Lakers, playing through is par for the course in February

Friday night at Staples had a chance to be a big yawn.

It is February, when the mind numbs at the thought of yet another NBA game, even if that game includes the defending champion Lakers.

Right now, things such as hockey and skiing and, horrors, curling are front and center. Give them their due. Once every four years.

But there is no stopping the NBA express, which needs eight months to fill owners’ coffers, make men who can leap and shoot into gazillionaires, and entertain as many fans as possible. Give Commissioner David Stern his due, too. And not just once every four years.

But still, even for the most faithful of fans, the 43-15 Lakers versus the 22-35 Philadelphia 76ers, in game No. 59 of a Lakers season that could conceivably have 51 more, had a better chance of being forgettable than memorable.

For the fans’ sake, you hoped against that. These tickets cost plenty, February or whenever. And as things turned out, it really wasn’t as bad as all that, this 99-90 Lakers victory.

Besides just the sheer tedium that comes with playing so many games, the negatives were that this edition of Lakers tends to play down to their competition, and with this collection of 76ers, that’s a long drop. Also, one of the more colorful characters in the NBA, Allen (I Got More Tattoos Than You Do) Iverson, was not playing. Sadly, AI has missed a block of games because one of his children is ill.

Mostly, it didn’t seem like a fair fight. Or as former Laker Rick Fox said on one of the pregame shows, “The 76ers aren’t really going anywhere, except the lottery.”

To be sure, there is always entertainment potential at Staples. Two of the great single-name-is-all-you need figures of Los Angeles were on hand. Kobe played, Denzel watched. To many, that alone is worth the price of a ticket.

Kobe appeared somewhat uninterested. He scored six points in the first half, but scored two quick baskets in the third period to get the Lakers back in front of the pesky 76ers, 56-55. Shortly thereafter, Denzel contributed. A scrambling Louis Williams, returning to the court after chasing a loose ball for the 76ers, paused just long enough to pat Denzel on the back at his courtside seat, and the Lakers sped away on a fastbreak. Assist, Denzel. Fix the box score.

The chances for a competitive, entertaining game were also enhanced by the fact that the Lakers lost their last game, 101-96, at Dallas on Wednesday night. Without that, the normal psychology would be that the Lakers would look past the 76ers because tough Western Conference opponent Denver is coming to town Sunday.

Phil Jackson, the Lakers’ coach, was asked about that before the game. He agreed that many players would, indeed, look right to Sunday. Asked what approach is taken to combat that, Jackson said, “Meditation. It puts you in the moment.”

Those who didn’t understand his Zen Master nickname do now.

There were other attractions for the person paying the steep ticket prices.

Elton Brand, the last man to make the Clippers look like contenders instead of pretenders, is one of the Philadelphia stars. He still plays hard and is a solid threat any time he has the ball on the baseline and within 12 feet of the basket. He is a veteran and he makes the 76ers better, if for no other reason than that.

Then, there is Jrue Holiday, who was a freshman at UCLA this time last year and perceived by many to be not quite ready for this level.

Philadelphia Coach Eddie Jordan said Holiday was the team’s fourth guard a few months ago, but has improved so much that he now is a starter.

“And a big part of our future,” Jordan said.

Holiday won’t turn 20 until June.

In the end, the game was decent, not dull. A good ad for the NBA, actually. Fan fun in February, Mr. Stern would say.

The 76ers played hard, the Lakers played poised and businesslike. They were clearly better and clearly cared enough to take the win, not wait for it to be handed to them.

The early going was full of flying dunks and alley-oop passes. There was lots of good interior passing and nonexistent interior defense. You won’t see that in May or June, but it is entertaining in February.

Kobe got interested in the second half and finished with 19 points, including several key baskets every time Philadelphia made a charge. If he played baseball, he’d be the team stopper. He’s John Lackey in short pants.

At crunch time, Jackson made his team work an obvious mismatch for Lamar Odom down low. That’s also why his nickname is the Zen Master.

With Denver here Sunday, this was a good rhythm-finder for the Lakers. No chance of looking past that one.

Denzel might just show up and help again.

bill.dwyre@latimes.com