Bryant Keeps Confidence

With only 13 games left in this loopy Laker regular season, the Lakers aren’t where they want to be--aren’t where they should be--but they say they know they can still get to where they need to be.

Though the Lakers are parked in the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference playoff race (which would mean opening the postseason on the road), only a few games separate them from the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets immediately ahead.

“What we’re trying to do is playing to improve,” Kobe Bryant said. “We’re not even close to playing our best basketball. Not even close.

“And we’re still in the hunt, still in the race, we’re still playing good basketball.”

Even the No. 1 Portland Trail Blazers are not out of reach, mostly because the Lakers still have four games to play against the Trail Blazers, though they’d have to go at least 3-1 to have a chance of winning the Pacific Division title.

In strange bit of traveling sideways, the Lakers are 4-0 on the road since March 21 but 3-4 at the Great Western Forum.

“Yeah, you want to be in front--please, please, don’t get me wrong,” Bryant said. “If we could trade spots, and have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, that’d be great. . . .

“We thought we’d be playing a lot better basketball at this point right now. And we would love to be at the top, have that first slot. But we can continue to learn.”

TONIGHT vs. Minnesota Fox Sports West, 7:30

* Site--Great Western Forum.

* Radio--KLAC (570).

* Records--Lakers 24-13, Timberwolves 20-15.

* Record vs. Timberwolves--1-1.

* Update--Not that the Lakers want to look in the rearview mirror, but Minnesota is in the No. 6 playoff spot, and a Laker defeat tonight would give the Timberwolves a serious shot at climbing to No. 5. The Timberwolves are without newly acquired point guard Terrell Brandon, who was put on the injured list Wednesday because of a bruised thigh.

* Tickets--Sold out.