Lakers’ sweep also a little sour

Chalk it up as some mandated spring cleaning.

The Lakers swept aside their hallway brethren, the finale of the season’s four-game series capped with a 106-78 victory over the Clippers on Thursday night at Staples Center.

It was required tidying after Tuesday’s setback at Portland and with tonight’s showdown looming in the form of the New Orleans Hornets.

But it also was dimmed earlier news that center Andrew Bynum is not yet cleared from his knee injury to progress into full practices.

This, for better or worse, could be your playoff Lakers, for the first round, at least.

“I think there’s a sense of disappointment,” Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said of Bynum. “He’s been looking good and been practicing a little bit.”

Still, Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy labeled the Lakers -- Bynum or no Bynum -- as title contenders. And he should know. His team lost to them by an average of 26 points.

“The trade of [Pau] Gasol solidified things a lot for them,” Dunleavy said. “They are a contending team and probably a team that should win it all.”

Six Lakers scored in double figures.

Lamar Odom took only a thrifty three shots, making two. But he made 10 of 14 free throws and hauled in 13 rebounds for his first double-double in four games.

He got to the line, somewhere Kobe Bryant seemingly couldn’t find. Bryant didn’t take his first free throw until late in the third quarter and scored 16 points on six-for-17 shooting. He did not play in the fourth quarter, ending with his lowest output since March 7, also a victory over the Clippers.

Luke Walton provided a solid scoring punch off the bench with 18 points. His two consecutive three-point shots in the fourth quarter pushed the score to 92-66. He made another as a reminder, but by then the Lakers were already on their way to a 54-25 record.

“I thought they came out with the right fervor, the right attitude to not only preserve the lead, but extend it too,” Jackson said of a second unit that scored 45 points.

The Lakers wiggled past the idle San Antonio Spurs to again move 1 1/2 games behind the Hornets (55-23).

The Clippers, playing for nothing but pride, punched for a while.

Elton Brand, playing his fifth game since sitting out because of a ruptured Achilles’ tendon, had 15 points in the first quarter as the Clippers took an early 20-9 lead.

But soon the Lakers came back. And the Clippers went cold.

The Lakers held the Clippers without a field goal for nearly seven minutes in the second quarter until Al Thornton scored two quick baskets.

They outscored the Clippers by seven points in the second quarter, then blew them away by 16 points in the fourth.

The lopsided wins were a return, as Bryant said in the past, to wearing an “old hat.”

Brand fouled Ronny Turiaf hard late in the game out of frustration, he said, instead of ill intent.

“It’s just a little frustration,” Brand said. “It was a 12-point game and somehow, they got it to 30. They are a great team, and I wish them well in the playoffs.”

Injuries have been the Clippers’ detriment all season, with Thursday sticking to the script.

Leading scorer Corey Maggette attempted to give it a go, but a strained right hamstring held him out a second game. Chris Kaman’s sprained ankle will keep him out the rest of the season. And Quinton Ross went down in the second quarter because of a sore left leg.

Among those still standing, Brand had a team-high 23 points and Thornton shook off a couple of subpar games to add 22 points.

They can now clean out their lockers, ending their home schedule at 13-28 and clinching their worst record since 1999-2000, when they ended 15-67.

“Tonight was the story of how things have gone for us,” Dunleavy said. “We played hard, but we made some mistakes, missed some easy shots. The Lakers made a bunch of threes, some of which were shots we shouldn’t have given up.”

In a season where Dunleavy and owner Donald T. Sterling haven’t always agreed, they found common ground.

Both jawed at officials early in the third quarter. Dunleavy received a technical. Sterling received a seat. The Clippers received a ticket to the road to exhaust their season with three games left. The Lakers received another win -- along with sobering news.

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jonathan.abrams@latimes.com

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Big man still down

Before his injury, Lakers center Andrew Bynum was averaging 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.06 blocked shots. He has been out since Jan. 13, but the Lakers have stayed near the top of the conference and have maintained their scoring average.

(* through April 9)

*--* LAKERS WITH BYNUM Record 28-14 Scoring average 109.4 Points given up 102.6 FOR THE SEASON Record 54-25 Scoring average* 108.5 Points given up* 101.8 *--*

Los Angeles Times