Lakers get a lift from White House visit

Reporting from Washington — 

Magic Johnson still tracks the Lakers, despite a second career as a real-estate tycoon and motivational speaker that often forces him to jet across the country, city after city, day after day.

He found time, however, to make it to Washington, where he offered words of wisdom to some of the Lakers during their White House visit. His theme: Time to step it up.

The Lakers found a pretty easy opponent to step on, beating the Washington Wizards, 115-103, Tuesday at Verizon Center.

Johnson, who owns almost 5% of the Lakers, has seen what others have seen -- periods of dominance followed by valleys of ineffectiveness, perhaps even arrogance.

After the Lakers met with President Obama on Monday, Johnson stood inside the Diplomatic Reception Room, surrounded by panoramic wallpaper scenes of Niagara Falls and Boston Harbor. Then he watched players from the NBA’s highest-salaried team walk out to the South Lawn, where a surprisingly brilliant sun awaited them.

“Hopefully this will jump-start them,” he said. “The team was not playing up to their own standards, but I’m sure that Phil [Jackson] will get them going.”

The Lakers (34-11) certainly took apart the Wizards to improve to 2-2 on their eight-game trip. Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant each had 26 points, Gasol adding 10 rebounds and Bryant eight assists.

“After the All-Star break is when we normally kicked our game up to another level because you want to play well going into the playoffs,” said Johnson, who won five championships as a player.

Maybe the Lakers will start a few weeks early.

They made 58.7% of their shots, one of their best shooting efforts this season. Gasol made 10 of 15 attempts, Lamar Odom seven of 10 and Bryant eight of 15.

The Lakers led at halftime, 60-44, then allowed the Wizards to get within nine once before extending their lead again.

The Magic touch?

“When he says it to me, I know what he’s saying,” veteran guard Derek Fisher said. “I think we’re aware of the timing. Kobe and I understand what time it is too.”

Johnson aside, Bryant said the visit to the White House re-energized the Lakers.

“It reminded us of what’s at stake,” he said.

As if to demonstrate the point, Bryant flung his shoes into the crowd after the game, a rare show of emotion that caused a shower of beer as fans scrambled to get them.

Earlier in the day, Bryant, his wife and two daughters met with President Obama for about 20 minutes at the White House.

“It was great,” Bryant said. “We just talked, and he spent a great deal of time talking to my kids. We talked about the season and how it’s progressing.”

There was even a quasi-agreement to meet later this year . . . on the court.

“We talked about it a little bit, over the summer playing a little pickup basketball, something like that,” Bryant said. “That would be great.”

Meanwhile, Gasol had his best effort since missing six games because of a strained hamstring.

He looked determined despite the Wizards’ attempts to bang him down low.

Granted, this was the Wizards (14-30) and not Cleveland or Boston, but there was progress compared to Gasol’s recent performances.

“Game by game I’m feeling better and I trust more of my legs,” Gasol said. “I feel stronger and I don’t get as tired. I can do more and more things and be more aggressive.”

Despite being halfway through an eight-game trip, the Lakers received a slight break in the schedule, a drop-off in quality of opponent that began with Washington.

The Lakers play tonight against Indiana (16-29) and Friday against Philadelphia (15-29), though they don’t want to hear how bad the competition is between now and Sunday’s showdown against the Celtics.

“We’re not looking at their records at all,” Jackson said. “Indiana’s always, I don’t know, we just don’t win there very often. They’ve always come up with some kind of way to find a win on their home court and Philadelphia’s games are always difficult for us.”

After a first quarter in which the Wizards hung tough, down only one, the only entertainment for their fans came during a third-quarter timeout when the “Kiss Cam” framed a shot of Luke Walton and DJ Mbenga on the Lakers’ bench, daring them to kiss. They didn’t.

Once again, Wizards fans were disappointed. There was no Magic for them.

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com

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