Lakers bench provides the spark for 98-92 win over Orlando

The Lakers were reeling in the third quarter, playing with little energy, their effort lacking against an Orlando Magic team that was going to work Monday night at Staples Center.

Something needed to change for the Lakers, and someone had to make that change.

It turned out the bench proved to be the difference in their 98-92 victory over Orlando.

Specifically, it was Shannon Brown having a career night that sparked the Lakers.

It was Jordan Farmar being aggressive no matter the consequence. It was Lamar Odom attacking the boards.

They all played with an attitude. They hustled, rebounded and played defense.

“I told them they were the reason why we got this game in the position we did to be able to come back and take a lead and turn the game back around,” Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said.

It was more than just the stats that Brown, Odom and Farmar produced to help the Lakers.

That didn’t hurt, especially with Brown dropping a career-high 22 points on eight-for-12 shooting against the Magic on the same night he was told he would be in the NBA dunk contest during All-Star weekend at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

It didn’t hurt to have nine points, a team-high 16 rebounds and five assists from Odom, or 11 points from Farmar.

More so, it was the determined way Brown, Odom and Farmar played that put the Lakers in position to win.

Odom attacked backboards, getting seven rebounds in the fourth quarter, three offensive. He scored seven points.

Farmar and Brown both had nine points in the fourth.

“We just had to be aggressive and intense,” said Farmar, who had a run in which he scored nine consecutive points early in the fourth.

He made three-pointer, a 21-foot jumper, a driving layup and got a steal on which he was fouled. He made both free throws.

“The three that I hit that got us started a little bit wasn’t the greatest shot in terms of shot selection, but I had an open look,” Farmar said.

Brown took it from there, cutting to the basket for one score, making a 17-foot jumper for another, making three of six free throws, the final two with 19.5 seconds left that gave him a career high.

“Honestly, I didn’t know what my career high was,” Brown said. “Somebody said something to me when I had 19 or something. I still don’t know what it is.”

Well, it’s 22.

“OK, now it’s 22,” Brown said, smiling.

Odom, Brown and Farmar were responsible for scoring 17 consecutive points for the Lakers from the end of the third to the early part of the fourth, helping them turn a 67-60 deficit into a 77-68 lead.

That spelled the end for the Magic.

“We just tried to come out and bring energy and get some ball movement, get easy looks for each other and rebound the ball better,” Brown said. “That sounds like a lot, but we had to go out there and make that happen.”

broderick.turner@latimes.com

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