Progress Follows Challenge

The Lakers are swimming, no Floaties necessary.

Since Coach Phil Jackson unfurled his “sink-or-swim” edict last week, the Lakers have gone 4-1 -- with victories over Indiana, Cleveland, Golden State and Miami -- the only loss coming at Portland on a night when nothing went right.

After a stretch in which the Lakers lost five of seven, Jackson outlined a nine-game string in which the Lakers were “really under the gun,” calling it, “sink-or-swim type of time for our team right now.”

The response has included three home victories against likely Eastern Conference playoff teams that has beefed up what had been a shaky 7-8 home record.

“As we’ve gone through a period of time where we’ve played umpteen close games, we’re starting to have some execution down the stretch that approximates what I want to see,” Jackson said. “We survived a period of time where our own home court was not our biggest advantage. We’ve started to turn that around a little bit where we’ve won some games on our own court that have been good wins.”

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Kobe Bryant’s cellphone would not stop ringing in the days leading up to the Laker-Clipper game almost two weeks ago, as friends called with requests to beat the Clippers.

But Bryant said his phone had been comparatively quiet since he and Shaquille O’Neal made public peace Monday.

“I swear to you, I think it’s a much bigger deal to you [media] guys than it is to us,” Bryant said. “I didn’t have anybody calling me up and saying, ‘Wow, you know, that was great.’ It’s really not that serious.”

Two days after their pre-game gestures carried national sports headlines, Bryant said he hadn’t given it extra thought.

“I just kind of left it where it was and just enjoyed the day off and doing therapy and things like that and just getting ready for Sacramento,” he said.

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Laker forward Ronny Turiaf met with reporters in the same media room where, six months earlier, he wept while pondering upcoming open-heart surgery to replace an aortic root.

“I’m definitely thankful for the opportunity that I have,” Turiaf said Wednesday at the Laker training facility in El Segundo. “Now is step one to a long, [successful] road, hopefully.”

Turiaf signed a three-year minimum-salary contract Tuesday, with only this season fully guaranteed.

TONIGHT

at Sacramento, 7:30, Ch. 9, TNT

Site -- Arco Arena.

Radio -- 570; 1330.

Records -- Lakers 21-17; Kings 16-21.

Record vs. Kings (2004-05) -- 1-3.

Update -- The Kings are among the larger disappointments in the West and are last in the Pacific Division. All-Star forward Peja Stojakovic may play tonight after missing the last four games because of back problems. Stojakovic is averaging 16.6 points, his lowest output since the 1999-2000 season.