Playoff Chase Grows Tougher

The Lakers assembled for practice Monday without their coach and their leading scorer, an ever-decreasing group enmeshed in an ever-increasing scramble for the final three Western Conference playoff spots.

Coach Rudy Tomjanovich is characterized as day to day because of a stomach virus, and Kobe Bryant remains week to week because of a sprained ankle. “It’s not like they’re going to let us postpone a game or anything,” forward Lamar Odom said. “Just got to keep playing.”

Assistant coach Frank Hamblen, the designated head coach against Charlotte and possibly again tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers, talked to Tomjanovich on Monday and said he sounded better.

Now 4-4 without Bryant, the Lakers are involved with four other teams for the West’s final three playoff spots. February seems a bit early to mention playoffs, but the impression that the Lakers don’t care about the standings could be put to rest when Hamblen noted that Sunday’s victory over the expansion Charlotte Bobcats was also important because Minnesota and Houston, two of the teams in the playoff battle, had lost.

The Lakers begin a five-game trip Sunday in Houston, the start of a rough-and-tumble finish where 24 of their final 38 games are on the road.

“The standings are so tight,” Odom said. “Every game from here on out will have the intensity of a playoff game.”

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The transition from Tomjanovich to Hamblen for a game, perhaps two, is minimal, other than a slight increase in triangle-offense sets and an unusual attention to detail by Hamblen, who began the daily media session Monday by stating the Lakers had practiced for exactly 1 hour 17 minutes.

As for Hamblen’s one-liner after Sunday’s victory that Tomjanovich should give him 1/82nd of his salary?

“He didn’t say anything about that [Monday],” Hamblen said, smiling.

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Point guard Chucky Atkins, averaging 18.9 points and 41.9 minutes in Bryant’s absence, did not practice Monday because of soreness in his knees.

“He’s been playing large minutes for us and done a terrific job, so we gave him a partial day off,” Hamblen said.

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TONIGHT

vs. Portland, 7:30, FSNW

Site -- Staples Center.

Radio -- KLAC (570), KWKW (1330).

Records -- Lakers 23-19, Trail Blazers 17-25.

Record vs. Trail Blazers (2003-04) -- 2-2.

Update -- This doesn’t exactly constitute a news flash, but the Trail Blazers are having another season of discord. Forward Qyntel Woods was waived less than two weeks ago after pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges of animal abuse. More recently, forward Darius Miles was suspended for two games for arguing with Coach Maurice Cheeks during a film session. Miles will not play tonight, and neither will guard Derek Anderson, who was hospitalized because of complications of dental surgery.