Playoff Push Brings Less Rest for Weary

The Lakers returned home from a three-game trip Tuesday afternoon, but there was no rest for the weary.

Coach Phil Jackson called for a film session in order to hammer out a defensive plan for tonight’s game against Sacramento. The Kings are tied with the Lakers for the seventh playoff seeding.

So the team went directly from the airplane to its practice facility in El Segundo for some brief but important classroom time.

“We had to get focused on our last meeting with Sacramento and look at some of the things we did,” Jackson said. “It was a real disappointing defensive effort by our team. So we talked a lot about that.”

Sacramento defeated the Lakers, 114-98, on March 14. Three weeks earlier, the Lakers had defeated Sacramento, 106-85.

Having the team convene immediately after a five-hour flight from Boston isn’t typical protocol for Jackson, who would normally give the team a day off in such a situation. But there are only 13 games remaining and the Lakers are hanging on for their playoff lives.

“Now is crunch time and we’ve got to do whatever we need to do,” Smush Parker said. “Just because it’s Sacramento doesn’t make it any bigger than any other game, but we’re trying to make a playoff run, we’re trying to get ready for the playoffs, mentally.”

*

There will be no more trips of any significance for the Lakers. Of their 13 remaining games, 10 are at home and Jackson said it would take more than 7-6 in those games to build momentum for the playoffs.

“We feel like we have to win a high majority of those games to finish where we want to finish,” he said.

It remains to be seen if that’s possible for a team that has hovered around the .500 mark all season and is a mediocre 18-13 at home.

“Whether we can sustain it for three weeks or a month -- that’s another story,” Jackson said. “Our biggest upsurges in our season have been usually a two-week period of time. ... So we’re trying to get that upswing here so we can go into the playoffs as strong as we can be.”

*

Kwame Brown tied a career-high with five assists Monday in a 105-97 victory over Boston. That tied for the team lead with Parker and he also tied for the team lead with nine rebounds.

Add in his 11 points -- a total he has topped only four times this season -- and it could have been his most complete game of the year.

“He’s a good passer,” Jackson said. “He knows his role in the offense and a lot of time if he’s not confident to go to score, passing is his best attribute.”

The timing of such a performance couldn’t be better, and not just because the Lakers are in a stretch run.

Chris Mihm, the starting center in 56 of the Lakers’ 69 games, is sidelined indefinitely because of an ankle sprain.

“We’re happy that we have him on this ball club at this time when Chris is down,” Jackson said. “He’s a young guy that we know can go 40 minutes and physically can do the job for us on both defense and rebounding.”

*

TONIGHT

vs. Sacramento, 7:30, FSNW

Site -- Staples Center.

Radio -- 570; 1330.

Records -- Lakers 35-34; Kings 34-33.

Record vs. Kings -- 1-2.

Update -- The Kings were 18-24 when they traded for Ron Artest on Jan. 25, but have made a playoff surge since. They are 8-3 in March, although they have lost their last two road games.