Lakers pull it together

If the Lakers needed a little shake-up, they got one.

A tap on the shoulder, a metaphorical tug of the elbow, a reminder that almost any team in the Western Conference is a dangerous one, even if it happens to be the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers.

Perhaps life at the top of the West had been a little too breezy for the Lakers after a slew of victories, many of them one-sided.

Or maybe it was a fatigue factor that comes with five games in eight days.

Either way, the Lakers would prefer that whatever happened at Staples Center stayed at Staples Center, a right they earned after coming back from a 15-point deficit Tuesday to defeat the Trail Blazers, 96-83.

It wasn’t poetic, considering All-Star guard Brandon Roy stayed home in Portland because of a sprained ankle, but the Lakers picked up some bonus points for rediscovering themselves in the fourth quarter and extending their streak to nine consecutive victories, 12 in the last 13 games.

Kobe Bryant was steady throughout -- 30 points, nine rebounds and seven assists -- and Jordan Farmar provided the surge they needed off the bench, tying his career-high with 21 points.

For all their troubles, and there were some on display, the Lakers managed to hit the mark of a strong team, as established annually by Phil Jackson -- 40 victories before 20 losses.

They are now 40-17, still on top of the West.

“I thought that coming out of the All-Star break, if we could find our way though some of the early games and find our rhythm again, there was a chance we could do that, and we did,” Jackson said.

It was an odd night, beginning with Portland running out to a 27-12 lead in the first quarter. Then other unforeseen events began to happen.

Level-headed Luke Walton was called for a technical foul. Jackson and Bryant, not wanting to be left out, also were called for technical fouls.

Then there were the Lakers’ statistical issues. When the fourth quarter began, three of their starters were stuck on two points each -- Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher and Walton.

Not surprisingly, the Lakers’ lead atop the West was as tenuous as their 67-65 edge after three quarters. But Bryant scored 11 points in the fourth quarter and Farmar followed up a momentum-turning three-pointer with a finger roll that put the Lakers ahead, 81-71, with 5:54 to play.

Continuing the theme of unpredictability, purple and gold confetti came down on one side of the arena with 4:30 to play and the Lakers ahead, 84-77. More confetti dropped a couple of minutes later.

The celebration might have been premature but not fully inaccurate. That it came against the Trail Blazers, who had given the Lakers fits over the last couple of seasons, was also noteworthy.

The Trail Blazers led at halftime, 51-44, and looked to be on pace to win for the fifth time in eight games against the Lakers.

Then Bryant took over.

“He just felt the need to exert that influence in the fourth quarter,” Jackson said.

With three-fifths of their starters in statistical limbo, the Lakers needed a lift from their reserves. Beyond Farmar, Sasha Vujacic had 12 points and Ronny Turiaf had eight.

“It was important,” Farmar said. “It wasn’t just scoring. We got plays that brought a lot of energy in the building.”

The Lakers now have two winnable games -- Thursday at home against Miami and Friday at Portland -- before a home game Sunday against the new-look Dallas Mavericks.

Then comes three games against non-threatening teams -- at Sacramento and home against the Clippers and Sacramento.

Unlike their two-day stay atop the West last month, the Lakers might stay awhile this time. Not that Jackson has brought it up with them.

“I have not mentioned it,” he said. “We’ve just talked about home-court advantage and what we want to do and getting ourselves in position to compete in the playoffs.”

They’re one step closer, even if it didn’t come that easily.

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mike.bresnahan@latimes.com