LAKERS KNICKED AGAIN STRUGGLES CONTINUE FOR L.A. NEW YORK 107, LAKERS 106.

Byline: ROSS SILER

Staff Writer

So much for the Lakers enjoying the comforts of home after an eight-game road trip. So much for things being different with Kobe Bryant not serving an NBA suspension. So much for Lamar Odom breaking out of his slump against his hometown team.

The end result was too familiar Tuesday night at Staples Center, with the Lakers falling to the New York Knicks 107-106 as their season-high losing streak extended to four games and coach Phil Jackson pronounced his team in an "All-Star malaise."

That explanation was as good as any after the Lakers faltered for the third consecutive game in the final minutes and lost yet again this season to a team with a losing record.

The four-game losing streak is only the eighth in Jackson's 16years of coaching.

The enduring image from Tuesday's game will be of Knicks fan Spike Lee, wearing a No. 4 Nate Robinson jersey, running from his courtside seat to taunt Lakers fan Denzel Washington after Eddy Curry's alley-oop dunk with 7.1 seconds left.

The Lakers still had a chance to win on their final possession, which Jackson entrusted to Lamar Odom. After a game of disappointments, including a scoreless first half and a series of offensive fouls late, Jackson wanted to give Odom a chance at redemption.

"He had some bad luck, and I wanted to help him get through that by giving him the opportunity at the end of the game," Jackson said. "He is struggling and I wanted him to have some success."

Odom inbounded to Ronny Turiaf, then got the ball back at the top of the floor. Kobe Bryant cut baseline but Odom couldn't get the ball to him and made a short-lived attempt to drive against David Lee. The whole play was predicated on Odom attacking the basket, with Jackson saying, "He's a good driver. I mean, that's his game."

Odom went left before abruptly dribbling the ball behind his back and changing directions. He pulled up from 17 feet on the move to his right and had the shot partially blocked by Lee with 0.3 seconds left.

"Once the lane was cut off, I know time's running out," Odom said, "so I just wanted to step back and clear some space. David Lee did a good job contesting. He might have got a little piece of it."

That capped a disappointing night for Odom, who has struggled in 11 games since returning from a sprained knee ligament. He finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds Tuesday but made just five of 12 shots and committed five turnovers.

"I just try to play the all-around game and just let it come to me," Odom said. "I don't want to go out there and look crazy."

The Lakers took a 106-105 lead with 29.9 seconds left as Bryant drilled a jumper off a screen-and-roll for the last of his 31 points. At the other end, the Knicks offered Exhibit A for why Jackson believes offensive rebounds are absolute killers.

Quentin Richardson missed a 3-pointer but the Knicks kept the possession alive as Lee grabbed the rebound. He passed outside to Jamal Crawford, who drove the lane and fired a pass to Curry for the alley-oop dunk.

"We've got to get the rebound," Bryant said. "That happened in Toronto, as well, a couple big plays where we don't get the rebound. We've got to get the ball back.

"We do a good job defensively, making them take tough shots, and then when they get the offensive rebound, that's when our defense is scrambling. Then they get easy looks at the basket. We've got to get that ball back, period."

After the 3-5 trip, the Lakers were back at Staples Center for the first time since Jan. 28, with a new video for player introductions that included a mention of Bryant's suspension and featured highlights from his return the next night against Boston.

The NBA stunned the Lakers by suspending Bryant a game for catching San Antonio's Manu Ginobili in the head with his flailing arm on a last-second shot. Bryant was left to pace around his hotel room while the Lakers lost 99-94 to the Knicks in New York.

While Bryant joked that the Lakers felt like they were in "Shangri-La" returning from the long trip, Jackson was worried about the inevitable "lag" of coming home and ordered his players to report to Staples Center early to shoot.

The Lakers were unable to fall back on their home record, which is now 19-7 -- they have lost three straight home games -- and the questions about Odom only continued.

He was called for two offensive fouls in the fourth quarter, one for an illegal screen, the second as he charged into Channing Frye after grabbing an offensive rebound. Odom also missed all three shots he took in the first half and was scoreless.

With two minutes left in the first quarter, Odom drew Jackson's ire by launching a 3-pointer when he had a driving lane. He earlier passed on a 3-pointer and tried to fire the ball inside to Andrew Bynum, who was called for three seconds.

Bryant summed up Odom's game with two words: "Rough night."

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) The Lakers' Kobe Bryant, right, loses the ball while trying to get past New York's Quentin Richardson.

(2) Smush Parker is fouled by New York's Steve Francis, who was called for a flagrant foul.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer