Jackson had them work on Xs and Om

The Lakers are back on a winning track. Maybe there will be more deep breathing and introspection at their practices.

In an effort to stop the team’s hemorrhaging after home losses to Charlotte and Memphis – with a combined road record of 15-59 – Coach Phil Jackson put the Lakers through a meditation session at Sunday morning’s shoot-around, as he sometimes does during the season.

Several hours later, the Lakers beat Washington, 126-120, in a frenetic overtime game.

Apparently, something had changed in them. “We were all nice and centered,” Luke Walton said with a smile.

It would behoove them to stay that way, with the top five teams in the Western Conference separated by less than two games in the standings before play on Monday.

Last week was supposed to be the start of the friendly part of the Lakers’ schedule, an end-of-season reward for their historically long nine-game trip and a more recent road venture to face four playoff hopefuls in the West.

But they might have lost a fourth consecutive home game if not for Walton’s noteworthy rebound of a missed free throw and Sasha Vujacic’s equally clutch free throws late in overtime against the Wizards.

Don’t look now, but their schedule continues to be undemanding the rest of this week, at least on paper.

There’s a home game Wednesday against Portland, which will be without All-Star guard Brandon Roy because of a strained groin muscle.

Then there’s another home game Friday against the suddenly staggering Dallas Mavericks, who are without Dirk Nowitzki because of a high ankle sprain.

On top of it, the Lakers, who are fighting plenty of their own injuries, will get some rest and maybe a key reinforcement.

They did not practice Monday, marking the first time since March 14 they didn’t have a game or practice, and Pau Gasol might return against Portland, partly depending on how he feels after practice today.

Either way, the Lakers gained some kind of momentum by beating Washington, even if their streak is only one in a row.

“When you start losing, it’s like enough is enough and you come out with a different mind-set,” Walton said. “When you’re winning, stuff is easy and fun, and we lost our mental toughness.”

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The Trail Blazers (38-36) won 13 consecutive games during a nice early-season run, but a visit to their website Monday confirmed that their season was all but over.

The main headline on the site – “Comeback Trail: Oden’s Rehab On Track” – was written in big block letters and accompanied by a photo of Greg Oden lifting weights.

The top pick in last year’s draft has been sidelined the entire season while recovering from microfracture surgery on his right knee.

The Trail Blazers could still play the role of spoilers, with two games against the Lakers in the next seven days.

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Defense-minded forward Ira Newble signed another 10-day contract Monday. Newble, who has two points in four minutes of game action, would be eligible for the playoffs if the Lakers signed him for the rest of the season after his second 10-day contract expired… . Washington rookie Nick Young, on his career-high 27-point effort Sunday against the Lakers: “It felt like the USC days. I had it going a bit.” Young played three seasons with the Trojans after graduating from Reseda Cleveland High. He was taken by the Wizards with the 16th pick in last year’s draft.

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com