Taking wing in the West

Suddenly, the view from the top doesn’t end at the Pacific.

The Western Conference crest now beckons to the Lakers, who find themselves in first, alone, in a regular season that won’t stop spinning off surprises.

The Lakers took another victory by out-defending the defending NBA champions, shutting down the San Antonio Spurs with an inspired effort that turned a tentative first half into a heavily unbalanced 106-85 victory Sunday at Staples Center.

The Lakers (56-25) have already clinched the Pacific Division title, but they would earn the conference’s top playoff seeding if they won Tuesday at home against Sacramento.

On the court, the Lakers continued to look nothing like the team that appeared exhausted and emotionless in a 112-103 loss Tuesday in Portland.

Kobe Bryant had 20 points without playing in the fourth quarter, Lamar Odom received a standing ovation after totaling 17 points and 14 rebounds, and the Lakers stepped toward the top spot in possibly the most challenging conference in NBA history.

They did it by ripping a page from a Spurs franchise that won four championships in the last nine years by short-circuiting teams with defense.

The score was tied at halftime, 53-53, but the Lakers outscored the Spurs by an improbable 45-19 margin until the game’s final few minutes. The Spurs made three of 17 shots in the third quarter and two of their first 13 attempts in the fourth.

“What a half,” Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said, equally impressed and pleasantly surprised.

A few seconds earlier, he had lowered his voice and dropped a hint about a best-case scenario.

“Know who sings ‘Springtime in the Rockies?’ ” he said, smiling. “It’s one of my old favorites.”

If the Lakers win the West, they’ll play Denver, Dallas or Golden State in the first round.

The fact they’re even talking about the top spot was almost unfathomable a week ago, though they’ve strung together three consecutive victories and were buoyed by Sacramento’s upset of New Orleans on Saturday night, an event that threw open the portal to the West.

“Ron Artest is the one everybody’s going to send the birthday cake to,” Jackson said before Sunday’s game. “But he may come down here on Tuesday night and kick our butt anyway.”

Artest had 22 points, including four three-pointers, against New Orleans, though that one last game against Artest and the Kings seemed to temper the Lakers’ enthusiasm after Sunday’s game.

Derek Fisher, who sparked the Lakers’ second-half rally, was allowed to celebrate a bit. Or not.

“I hate to be a party pooper . . . ‘Whoo-hoo,’ ” said the veteran guard, feigning excitement before rolling his eyes. “My thoughts are on Tuesday night.”

Tony Parker ripped through the Lakers in the first half, compiling 18 points, five assists and five rebounds with little resistance.

Then came the second half.

Fisher had 10 points in the third quarter. Parker was held to two points and no assists after halftime.

“If you’re getting scored upon, it’s important to attack the guy that is doing that, and he came down and attacked Parker at the other end of the floor in the third quarter,” Jackson said. “That was perfect.”

There were other moments of perfection for the Lakers.

With the Spurs fading at the end of the third quarter, Pau Gasol fired an outlet pass to Bryant at the other three-point line. Bryant immediately stopped at the arc and drilled a three-pointer with 0.1 of a second left in the quarter, giving the Lakers a 79-67 lead.

Bryant pumped his fist and hugged Gasol, tapping him on the head a couple of times for extra measure.

It brought to mind what Jackson said before the game, recounting a preseason meeting he attended with Bryant, Lakers owner Jerry Buss and General Manager Mitch Kupchak, back when Bryant’s future with the Lakers was still to be determined.

“We said we hope that Kobe gives this team an opportunity to perform,” Jackson said. “Because we think it’s going to be a lot better than he thinks it is.”

It might be the best regular-season team in the West, soon enough.

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mike.bresnahan@latimes.com