Lakers forward Lamar Odom sets up the winning push

His big moment came in the third quarter when the Lakers were trying to whittle away at a 15-point halftime deficit.

His time came in the third when the Lakers needed somebody to make a push, to be an offensive force.

Lamar Odom stepped into the void, scoring 12 of his season-high 20 points in the quarter, helping the Lakers pull out a 109-108 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night at Staples Center.

Much of the credit will go to Kobe Bryant, who made a three-point basket as time expired to give the Lakers the victory. Much of the talk was about Bryant scoring 39 points, 27 in the second half.

But without Odom’s contributions in the third, without him taking charge, the Lakers would have been in trouble.

“On the court, they always tell you to demand and command the ball,” Odom said. “Today I was just trying to find those open lanes to rebound the basketball, to push it and just to make my own play.”

Odom finished with a double-double, his 10 rebounds being another factor in the game.

He was seven-for-11 shooting from the field and he also had three assists and one blocked shot in 36 minutes.

But when the game began, it didn’t look as if Odom would be productive.

Lakers Coach Phil Jackson lamented about the fact that Odom played almost 18 minutes in the first half and had scored only four points, missing three of his four shots.

“It was basically wasted minutes out there in the first half,” Jackson said. “It’s kind of how we felt like. I think he brought his energy up a lot [in the third].”

Odom wasn’t on the attack in the first half, and only he knows why.

“In the first half, I’m focusing on getting the ball and getting it to Pau [Gasol] and Drew [Bynum] and Kobe is aggressive offensively,” Odom said. “So the rest of us have got to find our way into the game.

“If you take three or four shots and miss them, then so be it. The rest of us have to find a way to help the team somewhere else. I’ve got to find my own flow into the game.”

He did in the third.

Odom drove hard to the basket for a dunk. He followed that with a three-pointer off a pass from Bryant. He scored on a driving layup while being fouled. Odom made the free throw for a three-point play. Odom hustled for an offensive rebound and scored on a put-back.

The Lakers quickly had closed to within four points, all because Odom had stepped up his game to score 10 consecutive points in the third.

“I just wanted to make my one play,” Odom said. “It’s not about being aggressive. I always say I’m the only guy that cannot be aggressive but get 15 rebounds and get those in the trenches. I think offensively I have to just make my own plays and not wait for the ball to get swung.”

Odom made all four of his shots in the third quarter. He made his only three-pointer and all all three of his free throws. He also had four rebounds and an assist in the period, playing all 12 minutes.

That’s what Jackson wants to see more out of Odom.

“He kind of wants me to find my way,” Odom said. “He wants me to shoot the ball just too kind of keep myself involved in the ballgame.”

broderick.turner@latimes.com

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