In Crunch Time, They’ve Crumbled

It’s been a long time since Coach Phil Jackson lost a fifth consecutive game: March 1994, to be exact, when the Chicago Bulls were biding their time in a two-season lull between championships.

There’s a chance it will happen again tonight when the Lakers, losers of their last four, play Utah without Kobe Bryant, who has one more game to serve in his flagrant-foul suspension.

The Lakers’ last four losses have been by a combined 13 points, close games to be sure, although Jackson didn’t blink when asked the difference between teams that win and those that don’t win close games.

“Losers,” he said. “That’s the only logical answer, right? The losers lose the close games, the winners win close games. You look at close games around the league, I’m sure Detroit’s had five or six close games they’ve won.

“We have to learn how to win close games because that’s what it comes down to in the playoffs, in close games, who can execute down the stretch. It’s all about that execution and about being able to do things where the pressure is on.”

The Lakers are 5-6 in games decided by four or fewer points.

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The Lakers work on free throws at the end of almost every practice, with Jackson gathering the team together and creating succeed-or-run situations -- make eight of 10, for example -- to try to improve the team’s percentage.

Has it worked?

“Obviously not,” Jackson said. “I don’t see any translation at all. There’s only been a couple times all year that we’ve actually made free throws in our first attempt before we ran [in practice]. That does say something about the team.”

The Lakers, tied for 21st in the league in free-throw percentage at 72.7%, made only 15 of 25 from the line Sunday against Utah.

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TONIGHT

at Utah, 6 PST, Channel 9

Site -- Delta Center.

Radio -- 570, 1330.

Records -- Lakers 15-15, Jazz 15-16.

Record vs. Jazz -- 1-1.

Update -- Six Lakers scored in double figures Sunday against the Jazz, but poor defense led to a 98-94 Laker loss.