Things go right way this time

A year ago, had Miami’s Dwyane Wade dominated the game and overshadowed Kobe Bryant for as long as he did Monday, the outcome would have certainly been a Lakers loss.

Even three weeks ago, a 40-point effort by Wade was enough to sink the Lakers and sentence them to an unhappy Christmas in Miami.

But this season’s Lakers are different, still evolving and still unsure where their destiny lies, but clearly deeper and more multifaceted than last season’s version.

Wade was spectacular in piling up 35 points and eight assists, while Bryant, with his usual flair for the dramatic, saved his best for last after taking only six shots in the first half. Bryant scored six points in overtime as the Lakers put together a strong ensemble effort and cooled off a Heat team that had won its previous four games.

Bryant finished with 25 points, three below his season average, on 11-for-24 shooting. But with Brian Cook contributing 25 points, Smush Parker adding 17 and Maurice Evans scoring 12, the Lakers put together an impressive ensemble effort.

All five Lakers starters hit double figures, and Vladimir Radmanovic and Evans did the same coming off the bench, in a 124-118 victory over the Shaq-less Heat at Staples Center on Monday. It was a testimony to their depth and resilience and ability to adapt to adversity.

“It was fun,” Cook said, smiling.

Who needs Chris Webber, with this kind of effort, with 34 assists, and the return of Kwame Brown and Lamar Odom within sight?

Bryant didn’t guard Wade until the second half, spending most of the first half facing UCLA product Jason Kapono. But gradually, not without effort, the Lakers bothered him enough to slow him, if not stop him entirely.

It was Wade who turned the ball over with less than 30 seconds left in overtime and the Lakers clinging to a 121-118 lead, which they were able to pad and maintain.

“I just enjoy playing defense,” said Bryant, whose frustration at not being given the benefit of some calls boiled over in the form of a technical foul and a brief fist-pounding display that undoubtedly left a dent in the floor.

“For us, it was an adjustment. They set great screens for him and that takes me out of the play.”

He managed to recover nicely, as did the entire Lakers team.

“We did a great job on defense, keeping Dwyane Wade off the paint,” Cook said. “We had three or four bodies in there.”

Lakers Coach Phil Jackson thought his team could have -- and probably should have -- won in regulation time, and Cook agreed.

“We made some stupid mistakes down at the end,” he said. “We didn’t get some key stops.”

But in the end, they stopped Wade and the Heat, which had won four of five on a road trip that ended Monday. Miami had opened with a loss to Phoenix but went on to win at Portland, Seattle, Golden State and Utah, all without Shaquille O’Neal, who underwent knee surgery in November.

O’Neal is working out and went through a contact drill Sunday without apparent ill effects, and he might return as soon as Thursday, though a weekend sighting is more likely.

The sight of O’Neal, resplendent in a powder-blue suit, drew boos from the Staples Center crowd.

When his image appeared on the video screen above center court, capturing him as he sat at the far end of the Heat bench, the reaction was instantaneous and negative.

Playing to the crowd, he cupped his hand behind his ear as if to say he couldn’t hear the fans’ displeasure. Of course, that inspired them to boo louder. He then waved his hand as if to ask for an increase in volume, and of course, the crowd obliged again.

He could have shown them the championship ring he won last season, but it’s too heavy and gaudy for even him to tote around.

The Lakers, meanwhile, are heading confidently toward the halfway point of the season. Yes, Andrew Bynum still must find ways to stay on the floor and avoid fouls, but there are many more things going right than going wrong.

“We always say you lay down a pattern for what your season’s going to be like and hopefully we’ve had enough success that we can continue on,” Jackson said.

“With players coming back hopefully in five games or so, hopefully we have Kwame and Lamar in positions where they can be considered back in the lineup, we feel we’ll be able to go into the second half of the season with some real anticipation of playing well and doing well over the course of that span of time.

“There’s a huge road trip at the end of this month that sits ahead of us,” he added, referring to an eight-game trip that starts Jan. 30.

“I’m excited about seeing how we do on the road. Last time we weren’t happy about how we finished it though we came out OK. This one we’d like to go out and be strong and real competitive.”

They may be even better than that.

helene.elliott@latimes.com