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Bryant, Gasol lead Lakers past Rockets
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-11-10 15:55 LOS ANGELES—Shocking as it might sound, the Los Angeles Lakers broke out of a shooting slump Sunday night.
Shocking because they haven't lost a game so far this season. Kobe Bryant scored 23 points, Pau Gasol added 20 points, 15 rebounds and three blocked shots, and the Lakers shot 65.8 percent in the second half in a 111-82 victory over the Houston Rockets. Jordan Farmar added 16 points and six assists, and Andrew Bynum had 13 points, seven rebounds and three blocks for the Lakers (5-0), who trailed by 16 points early in the second quarter. "The momentum of this game just turned upside down," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, whose team outscored the Rockets 95-50 after falling behind 32-16. "We created more opportunities in the second half, we moved the ball better." The Lakers, who shot 43.5 percent in their first four games, wound up shooting 53.2 percent against Houston after going 5-of-17 in the first quarter. "It's all a matter of rhythm," Bryant said. "We were a little rusty starting the game. We have a lot of weapons, we know how to use them. We move the ball and whoever gets it gets it." The Rockets trailed by only seven points entering the fourth quarter, but Farmar scored eight points, Gasol and Lamar Odom added four each, and the Lakers shot 9-of-10 during a 22-10 run to start the period, giving them a 94-75 lead. They wound up outscoring Houston 39-17 in the final 12 minutes. "No lead is safe in this league," Farmar said. "I mean, players are so talented that 20 points can be overcome in a matter of minutes. It's just a matter of us playing basketball and sitting down on the defensive end and locking it in and getting it done." |
