Road tilts in Lakers’ favor

MIAMI -- And on the seventh game, the Lakers created a winning record on their trip, guaranteed.

Proving to be too much for the reshuffled Miami Heat, the Lakers took a 104-94 victory Sunday at AmericanAirlines Arena and moved to 5-2 on the longest continuous trek in team history.

It wasn’t as easy as the score indicated, and Coach Phil Jackson wasn’t enamored with the way most of a 17-point lead disappeared, but the Lakers have only two games left -- tonight at Charlotte and Wednesday at Minnesota -- before heading home.

“This is the [over the] hump game, and it was a good game to win,” Jackson said grudgingly. “We didn’t play particularly well, but we were able to win the game.”

Kobe Bryant was efficient -- 33 points on 10-for-15 shooting -- and Lamar Odom unfurled a well-rounded endeavor with 15 points, 18 rebounds and six assists.

But there weren’t many smiles afterward. It was directly related to the Heat’s 15-2 run to move to within 98-94 with 1:26 to play on a layup by Dwyane Wade after he intercepted a feathery Odom pass at halfcourt.

That would be the same Heat (9-40) that owns the NBA’s worst record.

“We’ve got to watch it,” Odom said. “Right now, we’re playing basketball that we expect to win. Sometimes we show it a little too much . . . we have to close out games better.”

The new-look Heat got a typical effort from Shawn Marion in his Miami debut (15 points, 14 rebounds), but there was a little problem with team defense most of the game.

Bryant carved up the Heat with his shooting touch despite the ongoing presence of athletic tape on the pinkie and ring fingers of his right hand.

Odom was active and alert, making six of 11 shots and also finding open teammates numerous times.

Pau Gasol? Not much from him this game, 12 points and seven rebounds, although he made a hook shot from the left block to halt the Miami run and give the Lakers a 100-94 lead with 1:04 to play.

The late push was enough to enliven the scores of Lakers fans in attendance. In fact, another road “M-V-P” chant took place as Bryant made two free throws for a 102-94 lead with 36 seconds left.

Miami, for its part, showed symptoms of why it has fallen so far this season after winning the NBA championship only two years ago.

Jason Williams pulled up for a three-point shot in a five-on-one situation near the end of the third quarter. The rebound ricocheted out of bounds, leaving a look of frustration on Heat Coach Pat Riley’s face.

Wade had 19 points and a whopping nine turnovers, including a traveling call after Bryant played stiff one-on-one defense on him with 5.5 seconds left in the third quarter.

“Nine turnovers is a lot of turnovers, so he has to take responsibility for that,” Riley said.

The Lakers had notable efforts in bursts.

Sasha Vujacic had 11 points in the second quarter on four-for-six shooting, his mini-splurge becoming so obvious that Heat fans groaned whenever he shot. Luke Walton had nine points in 20 minutes for one of his more notable games on the trip.

Otherwise, it was seven down, two to go.

“We’ve still got to finish it out,” Odom said. “I would love to finish this trip out with two victories.”

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mike.bresnahan@latimes.com