Parker pushes his slump aside

There was no need for a second opinion on Smush Parker’s recent statistics.

Four-for-12 shooting against Portland. One-for-eight shooting against Denver. Scoreless against Dallas. Two-for-eight shooting against Philadelphia.

To say Parker was in a slump would be akin to saying the Lakers had slipped since winning at San Antonio in mid-January.

Then came Sunday.

Parker had one of his best games of the season, encroaching on triple-double territory with 19 points, a season-high nine assists and seven rebounds against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

After a forgettable four-game run in which he shot 24.1%, Parker made eight of 10 shots against the Timberwolves, including three of four from three-point range.

Parker, who makes a relatively economical $798,112, becomes a free agent in July, making the final month of the regular season obviously important for him.

He has struggled with consistency, although he was almost infallible Sunday.

Late in the third quarter, he threw the ball over his head while falling. It banked in for an 84-68 Lakers lead.

“We were fortunate to get a great game out of Smush,” Coach Phil Jackson said. “No one else seemed to be able to shoot the ball [besides Kobe Bryant]. He came out with a purpose in mind.”

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Kwame Brown continues to struggle with passes, dropping one down low from Parker with 2:24 left in the second quarter.

He let another pass from Parker go through his hands late in overtime Friday against Portland.

“I just tell these guys to put it on his nose,” Jackson said. “Put the ball on his nose. Either that, or put it in the [groin]. He’s going to catch them either spot.”

After four consecutive double-figure scoring games, Brown had six points in 41 minutes against Portland and four points in 27 minutes against Minnesota.

Jackson, however, remained bullish on Brown’s overall production.

“He’ll have some games where he starts to feel better about his offense,” he said.

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Forward Brian Cook sat out a third consecutive game because of a sprained left ankle but said he expected to play Thursday against Memphis. Cook is averaging 7.8 points a game.

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com