With 20 Games Done, Coach Sees Mixed Bag

DALLAS â€”  In hockey, they call it the quarter pole, making a big deal out of it in Canada when a team has played 20 games, almost one-fourth of the way through the regular season.

The Lakers, at 10-10 and ninth in the Western Conference, have neither dominated nor dissipated 20 games into Coach Phil Jackson’s return.

Jackson and Kobe Bryant have coexisted peacefully, and the Lakers had a four-game win streak. But they are 17th in scoring (96.2 points a game) and 20th in field-goal percentage (43.6%).

“We could shoot better,� Jackson said. “We’re not shooting the way I think we can shoot, although we’ve consistently shot better over the course of the last two weeks overall.�

Bryant is averaging 30.8 points on 42.9% shooting. He has gone four games without taking 30 shots. The Lakers won three of them.

“Kobe is an individual that has a determination about his game,� Jackson said. “He’s got his priorities about how he wants to play the game. I try to help him meet that with what’s important for our team and the direction the team has to go. He’s responded well so far this season.�

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Kwame Brown isn’t a lock to reclaim his spot as the Lakers’ starting power forward, Jackson said.

Brown, who missed 10 games because of a hamstring injury, had two points and no rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench against Minnesota.

Brian Cook has started eight games at power forward and is averaging seven points and 3.6 rebounds. Brown is averaging 5.5 points and 5.6 rebounds.

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Center Chris Mihm had a Saturday he’d rather forget.

He was bothered by back spasms during the Lakers’ loss to Minnesota and his Texas Longhorns suffered two defeats.

Mihm, the Longhorns’ career leader in blocked shots, was ribbed about the Longhorns’ 97-66 loss to top-ranked Duke and Vince Young’s landslide loss to Reggie Bush for the Heisman Trophy.

“I’ve got to give it to Reggie,� Mihm said. “I’m in agreement ... even though it hurts.�

Mihm, averaging 10.3 points and 6.6 rebounds, did not practice Sunday but expects to play tonight.

TONIGHT

at Dallas, 5:30 PST, Channel 9

Site -- American Airlines Center.

Radio -- 570, 1330.

Records -- Lakers 10-10; Mavericks 15-5.

Record vs. Mavericks (2004-05) -- 2-2.

Update -- The Mavericks, winners of five consecutive games, are young and getting younger, with solid production from guards Marquis Daniels and Devin Harris. Dirk Nowitzki is averaging 26 points and 8.9 rebounds.