Clearing the Air, Hitting the Road

The Lakers digested every disturbing detail of their most recent loss to the Clippers again Wednesday, Coach Frank Hamblen making his team endure two hours of film and a clear-the-air session before embarking on a season-long six-game trip.

Grievances were declared and solutions discussed among a group of Lakers who are on the brink of making the wrong kind of history. If the playoffs began today, they would commence without the Lakers for the first time since 1994.

“We just have to win ballgames,” said Hamblen, whose team is half a game behind the Denver Nuggets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. “The big thing about it is, we want to stay together as a team and not get fragmented.”

That could prove tricky heading into what Hamblen called a “monster” trip, a stretch of six games in nine days beginning tonight against the Dallas Mavericks. Four of the six games are against teams that would currently qualify for the playoffs, including the Southeast Division-leading Miami Heat.

“This trip can help extend our season or shorten it,” forward Lamar Odom said. “Right now, we’re in a great position. Everyone is counting us out, saying they think we’re not going to do it. It’s the perfect time right now for us to sneak back up on a couple of these teams to try and get our spot back.”

The Lakers have not experienced much success on the road in recent weeks, losing three consecutive games and eight of their last 10.

Hamblen said his team’s surging frustration stemmed in part from a stagnant offense that relied too heavily on Kobe Bryant, who scored 41 of the Lakers’ 101 points Tuesday against the Clippers.

“Kobe obviously knows how to run [the offense], how to get his points, and the other guys kind of just stand and watch him,” Hamblen said. “We want to get the other guys involved.”

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Hamblen said he spoke with Odom about his floor-length heave late in Tuesday’s game that landed in the stands, resulting in Odom’s ejection. The toss was prompted by a foul called on Laker center Chris Mihm with 1:47 left in the fourth quarter.

“For him to react like that, I’m sure he was just frustrated,” Hamblen said. “Hopefully, he won’t do it again.”

Odom apologized for an act he said was committed “in the heat of battle.”

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TONIGHT

at Dallas, 6:30 PST, Channel 9, TNT

Site -- American Airlines Center.

Radio -- 570, 1330.

Records -- Lakers 30-29, Mavericks 39-20.

Record vs. Mavericks -- 1-1.

Update -- The Mavericks defeated the Toronto Raptors, 113-105, Monday with their top three scorers sidelined. Dirk Nowitzki (sore left knee), Michael Finley (left calf bruise) and Jerry Stackhouse (strained right groin) remain day to day. Guard Marquis Daniels scored a season-high 32 points for Dallas in its victory over the Raptors. Assistant Avery Johnson will coach the Mavericks so Don Nelson can be with his wife while she recovers from surgery. Kobe Bryant scored 10 of his 40 points in the final three minutes last week to help the Lakers hold off the Mavericks, 108-103, at Staples Center.