Lakers’ Lamar Odom gets his head in the game in second half

Something clicked for Lamar Odom in the second half.

He was more of a force for the Lakers, more in tune to the game against the Boston Celtics on Thursday night, more in control of his game.

The best person to ask about Odom’s epiphany was Lakers Coach Phil Jackson.

So Jackson was asked what changed for Odom in the second half.

“He got hit in the head,” Jackson joked. “That was a really good thing.”

Jackson couldn’t stop laughing.

But he did make a good point.

After Odom suffered a laceration on his head from hitting Pau Gasol’s tooth in the third quarter, Odom did seem to take off.

He had just scored on a tip-in with 51.1 seconds left in the third when Odom turned to run upcourt. He smacked right into Gasol, blood flowing from the opening wound.

Odom went to the bench so that Lakers trainer Gary Vitti could close his laceration.

Odom started the fourth quarter with a bandage on his forehead.

His game flourished from that point.

Odom had six rebounds in the fourth, three offensive; he had a total of 12 rebounds.

He scored six of his 10 points in the fourth. He had two of his three blocked shots in the fourth. He had his only steal in the fourth.

And Odom did this playing all 12 minutes in the quarter.

“Really what happened was, I slowed down,” Odom said about his second-half play, particularly his fourth-quarter performance.

“I came out and just kind of did the wrong [stuff]. I was like, ‘Let’s work!’ I was just trying to put pressure on him [the Celtics’ Glen Davis] off the dribble.

“I just took my time. I tried to make basketball plays — rebound, push it, get in position, play off my teammates.”

Odom was only one for five in the first half, scoring only two points.

He played only 9 minutes 57 seconds in the first half because his play was so subpar.

But when Odom made a three-pointer to open the fourth quarter, giving the Lakers a 75-68 lead, Jackson knew then that Odom was ready.

“I liked the fact that he hit the three-point shot,” Jackson said. “He got a couple of easy things inside off second efforts and tip-ins. And then he started playing his control game, a game he controls rather than trying to do things like break down ‘Baby’ [Davis], which is what he was trying to do in the first half. He took us out of our offense and he took himself out of our offense.”

After the game, it took eight stitches to close Odom’s laceration, something even he joked about.

“Perfect timing,” Odom said, smiling. “I’m launching my fragrance with my wife.”

Indeed, Odom and his wife, reality TV star Khloe Kardashian, will launch their fragrance, Unbreakable, Saturday in Orlando, Fla.

The Lakers are happy Odom finally launched his game.

There was the defensive play he made with the Lakers leading, 82-79, in which Odom stripped the basketball from Kevin Garnett on an inbounds play.

Odom tiptoed along the sideline and kept the ball alive after the steal.

There was the play in which Odom outhustled Garnett for an offensive rebound with 1:09 left.

“I just tried to play,” Odom said. “I just wanted to be in the mix.”

broderick.turner@latimes.com

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