Lakers are just losing it

Just when it couldn’t get any lower, it did, unbelievably but indelibly.

The Lakers were back at Staples Center, allegedly, but their woes continued to spill out in a 108-72 loss Sunday to the Dallas Mavericks that will come to be known by record-keepers as the worst home defeat in the team’s 47-year existence in Los Angeles.

Their troubles were too much to chronicle in one sentence, let alone a paragraph, and perhaps even an entire story.

They actually led, 20-13, and then the Mavericks went on a 46-15 streak for a 59-35 halftime lead.

By that time, Smush Parker had been kicked out for picking up two technical fouls, Kobe Bryant was on his way to a six-for-19 shooting night, and the Lakers were on the irreversible trail toward a sixth consecutive loss.

And in the distance, Denver climbed within 1 1/2 games of them for sixth in the Western Conference, with the teams playing Thursday in Denver.

About the only good news for the Lakers came out of the trainer’s room.

Lamar Odom was cleared to practice by team doctor Steve Lombardo and has decided to play with a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Furthermore, Ronny Turiaf returned Sunday after missing two games because of a sore back, and Luke Walton is expected to return against Denver.

“The way they are playing now, it doesn’t matter who comes back,” said Lakers Coach Phil Jackson, obviously upset. “Jesus Christ could come back and we still wouldn’t have a chance because we’ve ruined the mix by not playing together.”

There were follies before, during and after the game.

Earlier in the day, Kwame Brown missed a chance to return to the starting lineup because he was late for the morning shoot-around. (He had 10 points in a reserve role, air-balled a free throw in the second quarter and did not stick around to talk to reporters.)

“He said he had no excuses,” Jackson said. “Daylight savings time might have been a good excuse if he wanted to use it.”

Brown turned 25 on Saturday.

The game itself almost led to another record low.

If not for Jordan Farmar’s 19-footer with 6.9 seconds to play, the Lakers would have tied the team record for fewest points in a game since moving to Los Angeles.

Bryant was chastised by Jackson for trying to do too much, finished with 25 points and also struggled from the free-throw line, making only 13 of 18.

Toward the end of the game, with the Lakers down 34, he sat at the end of the bench, a towel draped over his shoulder during a timeout, staring vacantly ahead before sharing a few words with an observing Odom.

“Nothing I can say here,” Bryant later told reporters.

After the game finally ended, Jackson stalked into the locker room and demanded that everybody not associated with the Lakers leave. He then told the team, in fairly unkind words, that the rash of injuries was no excuse for what took place on the court.

Publicly, he characterized the team in similarly unflattering terms.

“Boy, we were embarrassed today,” he said. “That was an embarrassing loss for us.”

The only other home game that compared on the embarrassment scale was a 144-109 defeat to San Francisco in November 1966, the previous lowest of the low for the Lakers since leaving Minneapolis.

That the Mavericks (52-9) came in with the league’s best record and a 16-game winning streak didn’t help the Lakers (33-31), who must finish 12-6 to match last season’s 45-37 record.

Parker’s early exit didn’t help, either.

He picked up his first technical while sitting on the bench, apparently unhappy after being called for his second personal foul with 8:07 left in the first quarter. He was then hit with his second technical with 9:28 left in the second quarter, irritated with a non-call after getting the ball stolen by Devin Harris.

“I just said, ‘He grabbed my arm,’ ” Parker said.

Jackson didn’t have much to say, according to Parker.

“He looked at me and said, ‘Smush, I don’t know what to tell you.’ ”

Not that long ago, the Lakers actually beat the Mavericks, 101-98, in early January, ending a Mavericks’ 13-game winning streak as Walton scored 21 points and Sasha Vujacic added a career-best 16 points. Bryant had 26 in that game.

Now, they’re merely adding another lengthy losing streak to a coach not familiar with them.

Jackson had never lost six consecutive games in his other 15 seasons as an NBA coach, but he has experienced two such skids in the last five weeks.

Said Jackson: “There’s no excuse for the way we played.”

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com

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Some kind of roll

Dallas won its 17th consecutive game Sunday night, matching the season’s longest winning streak and tying the fifth-longest streak in NBA history:

*--* 33 Lakers Nov. 5, 1971-Jan. 7, 1972 20 Milwaukee Feb. 6-March 8, 1971 19 Lakers Feb. 4-March 13, 2000 18 Chicago Dec. 29, 1995-Feb. 2, 1996 18 Boston Feb. 24-March 26, 1982 18 New York Oct. 24-Nov. 28, 1969 17 Dallas Jan. 27, 2007- 17 Phoenix Dec. 29, 2006-Jan. 29, 2007 17 San Antonio Feb. 29-March 31, 1996 17 Boston Nov. 28, 1959-Jan. 1, 1960 17 Washington Nov. 16-Dec. 30, 1946 16 Lakers Dec. 11, 1999-Jan. 12, 2000 16 Portland March 20-April 19, 1991 16 Lakers Jan. 9-Feb. 5, 1991 16 Milwaukee Oct. 24-Nov. 25, 1970 16 Boston Dec. 19, 1964-Jan. 22, 1965

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Source: Associated Press

Los Angeles Times