Thin line between winning, losing

This was all supposed to get better when Shaquille O’Neal left town, but the Lakers can’t seem to make their free throws these days.

It might have cost them a victory Sunday, when they made only 18 of 31 from the line against San Antonio for a frosty 58.1%.

Coach Phil Jackson wasn’t especially irked after the Lakers fell in overtime, 96-94, but he singled out free-throw woes that have been growing steadily worse in recent games.

The Lakers made 25 of 35 (71.4%) against Charlotte and have dropped to 21st in the league, making 73.8% as a team.

And that’s with Kwame Brown (40.2%) still sidelined by an ankle injury.

Jackson called it “contagious” and said the players were on their own from here on out.

“Right now, we have some guys who just aren’t confident about shooting free throws,” he said. “I told them we’re not practicing them anymore in practice. I’m sick and tried of taking 20 minutes out of practice to practice free throws when they’re professional players. They have to do this on their own. This is their responsibility.”

The main culprit Sunday was Lamar Odom, who made four of 10. Smush Parker has also struggled recently, missing six of his last 11.

The Lakers were perennially dragged down statistically by the free-throw problems of O’Neal -- a career 52.8% shooter from the line -- but they were, obviously, winning games. Now they’re stumbling in the category and on a two-game losing streak.

“Free throws play a big factor in our losses,” Parker said. “We have to do a better job of stepping to the free-throw line and knocking down shots.”

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Vladimir Radmanovic was a surprise starter Sunday in place of injured forward Luke Walton.

In hockey terms, Radmanovic was a “healthy scratch” in Friday’s loss to Charlotte, benched for the first time since joining the Lakers. (He suffered a slightly sprained right hand in pregame warmups Friday but was ready to play if necessary. Instead, he was ignored by Jackson, who offered “sometimes it happens like that” as a response to reporters’ inquiries.)

But against the Spurs, Radmanovic had 13 points and nine rebounds in 34 minutes.

“His hand healed quickly, and he played very well,” was Jackson’s brief explanation.

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Jackson partly blamed himself for so many losses to losing teams.

“It’s a lack of focus, I think is the biggest thing, and it starts with the coach,” he said before Sunday’s game, hinting at the need for more thorough explanations during video sessions and on-court run-throughs. “That’s one of the things I have to continue to remind myself, is not to expect that they understand. Perhaps I’m lax at it.”

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mike.bresnahan@latimes.com

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KEYS TO THE GAME

* The Lakers made only 18 of 31 free throws (58.1%) and the Spurs made 22 of 24 (91.7%).

* The Spurs crushed the Lakers in offensive rebounds, 16-5, and had 22 second-chance points. The Lakers had only five second-chance points.

* Spurs guard Tony Parker struggled most of the day, missing eight of his first 10 shots, but ended up with 19 points, seven in overtime.

-- MIKE BRESNAHAN