A Ninth Try at Three Wins in a Row

Forward Lamar Odom didn’t mind fielding questions about the Lakers’ failure to win three consecutive games.

“Um, no, because I’m trying to ask myself that too,” he said.

The Lakers are on a two-game winning streak, slip-up territory eight other times this season, as they head into tonight’s game against the Seattle SuperSonics.

Since moving from Minneapolis in 1960, the Lakers have never advanced this far into a season without having won three games in a row, setting up a possible rallying point, if one is needed, without Kobe Bryant against one of the Western Conference’s top teams.

“I would hope so,” Laker Coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. “It seems to be the big thing everybody’s talking about. I sort of like the other thing -- that we haven’t lost three in a row. I haven’t heard that, though.”

The Lakers are the only NBA team with a winning record that has yet to win three consecutive games. Until they do, they are joined by Atlanta, Charlotte, New Orleans and Portland as the teams without such a streak.

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Center Vlade Divac, who turns 37 next month, began rehabilitation last week after undergoing surgery on Jan. 6 to repair a herniated disk in his back.

Divac’s targeted return is the first few days of April. The Lakers’ last regular-season game is April 20.

“My body’s weak because of the surgery, but I know that when I get back, that pain isn’t going to be there,” Divac said.

Divac has averaged 0.8 points and 1.1 rebounds in eight games.

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Think there will be a few three-pointers attempted tonight?

“A bunch,” Laker guard Chucky Atkins said.

The SuperSonics are attempting 23.1 three-pointers a game, second-most in the league, and the Lakers are attempting 22.7, third-most. The SuperSonics are making a league-high 38.3% of their three-pointers. The Lakers are tied for 12th, making 35.6%.

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The Lakers have made 308 of 864 three-point attempts and are on pace to go well beyond team records set in 1996-97, where they made 551 of 1,500 from beyond the arc.... Tomjanovich, on these Lakers: “If you look at it in military terms, we’ve got guys in the first-aid tent and people are out here trying to hold the fort.”

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TONIGHT

vs. Seattle, 7:30, FSNW

Site -- Staples Center.

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

Records -- Lakers 22-16, SuperSonics 28-11.

Record vs. SuperSonics -- 0-1.

Update -- Seattle has slowed after a quick start, going 5-5 over its last 10 games after a 23-6 beginning. Guard Ray Allen is averaging 23.8 points, and forward Rashard Lewis is averaging 20.8 points. Lewis had 37 points and made seven of 12 three-point attempts in the SuperSonics’ 108-93 victory over the Lakers last month in Seattle.