No problems with their second wind

Back-to-back, anxiety attack?

Games on consecutive nights are enough to worry most coaches, but the Lakers had a commendable 12-5 mark last season on the second night of such situations.

They're off to a good start in their first back-to-back effort, taking a 117-79 victory Wednesday over the Clippers after a 96-76 laugher Tuesday against Portland.

The second night is considered a telling test of endurance for NBA teams, often separating contenders from the pack. As such, Coach Phil Jackson didn't pause when asked if the Lakers were built for such success this season.

"We have the depth," he said. "It's a young team, a relatively young team outside of Kobe [Bryant]'s 12 seasons and Derek [Fisher]'s 12 seasons. We should be young enough to recover."

The standard for the Lakers remains a near-stunning 19-2 record in the second night of consecutive-game sets in 1999-2000.

Two thumbs up

The Lakers were swarmed with compliments by TNT analysts Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley after their victory against Portland.

"They have set the tone, and the tone is that they're loaded," Smith said. "They really have every position covered, twice."

Barkley, known to needle the Lakers in the past, agreed with Jackson's decision to break up the triple-tower front line of Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom by sending Odom to the second unit.

"I think that's a really good coaching move by Coach Jackson," Barkley said. "If you put Bynum, Gasol and Odom together they wouldn't be a good transition-defensive team. They'd be slow. They're smaller now, but they're faster. And when you have Bynum and Gasol, you're big enough to compete with the other teams, and bringing Odom off the bench is going to make your bench stronger."

Smith hinted at a long playoff run for the Lakers, even though it was only October.

"The Lakers had the luxury of going to the Western Conference finals, and arguably their second-best player wasn't there," he said.

You guys again?

Forward Josh Powell spent last season with the Clippers, playing in 64 games and starting 25, but he is now down the hall at Staples Center after signing with the Lakers as a free agent.

He parted ways with the Clippers after they declined to pick up an $855,000 option on his contract.

If Powell was bitter, he didn't show it in his first game against his former team.

"Just keeping it cool," he said. "Just want to get a win."