Lakers Get Out of Jam at the End

This was supposed to be the beginning of a soft part of the schedule for the Lakers, a chance for them to create some space above the .500 mark.

It turned into a not-so-subtle reminder that the margin for error has decreased around here, but the Lakers managed to pull away from the Milwaukee Bucks, with Kobe Bryant scoring 30 points and performing shut-down defense on All-Star guard Michael Redd.

Bryant made 11 of 24 shots, had five assists and helped hold Redd to six points on one-of-eight shooting in a 100-96 Laker victory in front of 18,215 Tuesday at Staples Center.

The Lakers lost a double-figure lead for the sixth time in their last eight games, a habit that continues to hang with them, but they recovered in time to win on the night of the return of center Vlade Divac, who played his first game in a Laker uniform since 1996.

The night didn’t exactly start off with Divac blowing kisses to the crowd. There was some confusion as to whether he even expected to play.

He arrived less than an hour before game time, long after his teammates, and blamed gridlock as he searched for a game jersey that couldn’t be found in his locker.

“I have to learn the L.A. traffic all over again,” he quipped, insisting he knew he would be in the lineup, even as an equipment manager whisked a jersey over to him. “It’s a veteran move. I deserve it. Come on.”

Divac, signed as a free agent in July, hurt his back while spinning in the post during an informal September workout and had not played in a game until checking in before the start of the second quarter.

A brief ovation might have been the most memorable part of his night.

He almost fumbled away the first ball that came his direction, a soft pass at the free-throw line from Bryant. He fouled Desmond Mason on a dunk by the Milwaukee forward, and fell behind as center Zaza Pachulia beat him down the court for a transition basket.

Divac went scoreless and did not take a rebound in 5 minutes 13 seconds.

“I was a little nervous, after eight years of not being in a gold uniform,” said Divac, who averaged 9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and a career-best 5.3 assists last season with Sacramento. “I just have to work on my conditioning and my feel for the game.”

Seconds before Divac entered the game, the scoreboard video screen zoomed in on another player who could become part of the Lakers’ immediate future. Karl Malone was shown in a courtside seat, wearing a brown cowboy hat and spitting sunflower seeds into a plastic cup.

A harmonizing voice in the locker room last season who also contributed 13.2 points and 8.7 rebounds, Malone told Laker officials he would play for the Lakers if he decided to return for a 20th season, although he will be courted by numerous Western Conference contenders when his surgically repaired knee regains full strength. He is not expected to make a decision until the end of December, at the earliest.

Until then, the Lakers will make do with one shoo-in Hall of Famer.

Bryant had sat out four of the Lakers’ last five practices because of painful swelling in his left foot, but he looked sound in the final quarter, knocking down teardrop shots and burying baseline drives on the way to 10 fourth-quarter points.

Bryant also broke up an off-balance pass by Redd in the final minute, scooping up the loose ball and turning a backcourt foul by Mason into two free throws. The Laker lead became 97-92 with 42.6 seconds left.

“That’s the way you do it, you close it out with stops,” Laker Coach Rudy Tomjanovich said.

Bryant, who made an uncharacteristic eight of 17 free throws in Sunday’s victory over the Chicago Bulls, made eight of 10 against Milwaukee.

Including Milwaukee, the Lakers were looking at five of their next six games against teams with losing records. Beyond that, 11 of their next 16 games are at Staples Center, where they are 5-1, their lone blemish a loss to San Antonio.

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Interior Views

The return of Vlade Divac to the Laker roster could add some much-needed strength to the team’s inside game. The Lakers have roughly matched their opponents in points in the paint and rebounds this season, contributing to a record two games over .500. The game-by-game breakdown:

*--* LAKERS OPPONENTS PiP Reb PiP Reb NOV. 2 vs. DENVER (W) 47 36 48 36 NOV. 3 at UTAH (L) 22 37 38 43 NOV. 5 vs. SAN ANTONIO (L) 32 41 52 46 NOV. 7 vs. ATLANTA (W) 52 40 44 31 NOV. 9 at NEW ORLEANS (W) 32 41 22 34 NOV. 10 at MEMPHIS (L) 50 46 32 50 NOV. 12 at ORLANDO (L) 42 32 34 50 NOV. 13 at HOUSTON (W) 28 45 26 42 NOV. 17 vs. CLIPPERS (W) 44 37 36 40 NOV. 19 at PHOENIX (L) 22 47 54 44 NOV. 21 vs. CHICAGO (W) 42 52 30 33 NOV. 23 vs. MILWAUKEE (W) 50 35 40 47 SEASON AVERAGES 38.9 42.1 38.0 41.9

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