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Thursday March 12, 2009 2:13 AM

Bryant's Heroics Lead Lakers Past Rockets

L.A. snaps Houston's home winning streak with 102-96 victory

Jason Friedman
Rockets.com Staff Writer

Houston - The Rockets had payback on the brain heading into Wednesday night’s showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers. Among many of Houston’s players and coaches, there was a commonly-held belief that the team let victory slip away the last time these two clubs met in Toyota Center back on January 13. But unfortunately for the Rockets, instead of being treated to a heaping helping of revenge, they were forced to endure the sequel to a show they didn’t even enjoy the first time around.

Coming to the rescue of his team just as he had two months ago, Kobe Bryant once again played the role of the victorious villain, scoring 31 second-half points – including 18 in the fourth quarter – to lead the Lakers to a 102-96 victory over Houston. The loss snapped the Rockets 12-game home winning streak and spoiled a tremendous effort from Von Wafer (20 points) off the bench.

“I was just disappointed in the way we played the second half,” lamented Coach Rick Adelman after the game. “They took control of the game and finished it off and we just could never get on a roll offensively at all and, obviously, Kobe took it over.

“The one thing that I said at the start of the game, we've got to play the game as a team on both ends of the court. We did not do that. Especially, on the offensive end in the second half, we really got out of sync. We turned it over 23 times. We shot 51 percent but that doesn't help if we turn it over like we did.”

While the Rockets season-high turnover total was certainly a killer so, too, was their ice cold shooting from beyond the arc. Houston was just 5 of 28 from three-point land which not only cost them an opportunity to potentially put the Lakers away when they were down by as many as 14 in the second half, but also allowed L.A. to pack the paint on Yao Ming, rendering him relatively ineffective (Yao scored just 4 points on 1-3 shooting in the second half). In particular, the Lakers had great success double-teaming Yao from the baseline.

“That is unusual because most teams double team from the top,” explained Yao, who finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks. “[When opponents double] from the baseline is what I need to improve upon - and how to get a defensive rebound.

“I would say we had three weaknesses tonight: Defensive rebounding in the third quarter, beating the baseline double team and guarding Kobe. I think, in the playoffs, any one of those three can kill you. I have to cover all those.”

Yet for all that went wrong for the Rockets on this night – Kobe’s second-half explosion, the missed threes, the turnovers – Houston was right there at the end, staring at a tie game with 2:26 to go. True, this team has come too far to find much solace in moral victories at this point, but there are important lessons to be learned from this loss; lessons which, when properly applied, might just prevent the Rockets from having to sit through another agonizing sequel the next time Kobe and the Lakers come to town.

QUOTES

RICK ADELMAN

(On the loss) “I was just disappointed in the way we played the second half. They took control of the game and finished it off and we just could never get on a roll offensively at all and obviously, Kobe took it over. You just got to bounce back for the game on Friday (versus Charlotte).”

(Did Ron Artest get caught up in personal duel with Kobe Bryant ?) “You probably could say that, but you’d have to ask him (Ron Artest). You just got to make Kobe work. He started making shots and we missed a ton of shots. I thought in the first half we had good opportunities on three-point shots that we didn't make, in the second half I thought we took some tough ones. But if he did (get caught up in a personal duel with Kobe), you just got to maintain your composure and play the game. It's the one thing that I said at the start of the game, we've got to play the game as a team on both ends of the court. We did not do that. Especially, on the offensive end in the second half, we really got out of sync. They put a little bit more pressure on us on the wings and on the ball and we didn't respond to it very good which is something that we've got to work at and talk about and get better at because that's what's going to happen in the playoffs.”

(On the Rockets turnovers) “We turned it over 23 times. You can't go out there and turn the ball over to a good team 23 times and get ten less shots than they did. We shot 51 percent but that doesn't help if we turn it over like we did. It's just a game where we didn't play well in the second half.”

(on the defense played on Yao): They were doubling him every time and they were coming from the baseline. We all knew where they were coming from. He’s got to find the guy in front of him and not look to the weakside, and we’ve got to get open in front of him so he sees that. I thought we did a very poor job of that because they were just coming every time along the baseline. If he took two dribbles, they were going to be there. So it’s a matter, again, if you have patience and you’re hurting them in other areas, that’s going to free him up. But when we’re missing shot after shot, or turning it over, they get more aggressive and take it out of his hands.

SHANE BATTIER

(On the game) “When you look at the stat sheet and you give up 23 turnovers, it is tough to overcome against a really good team and we didn't respond to their pressure very well.”

(not having a true closer): It’s the challenge that we face. It’s what we have to overcome to beat teams like the Lakers. We’re still trying to find it. Ideally you want to have the ball in the ballhandler’s hand and go pick-and-roll – that’s what most NBA teams do. We still need to figure out what’s our best set.

(difference in the two halves): We turned the ball over a lot and allowed them to get out and take our momentum away. They’re really long and really active, and we didn’t do a good job of keeping our spacing and making strong passes.

We had such a poor night shooting from beyond the arc that it really fed into the way they were playing Yao, and we couldn’t get Yao going.

VON WAFER

(On the game) “It was a tough game. It's like that sometimes. You lose the tough ones but I think we got better from this. I think we're going to be more conscious. We have to lead like that and play more solid.”

(On the difference between the 1st and 2nd half) “I think in the 2nd half we didn't play as good of defense and they (Lakers) got a stretch where they scored and we've just got to sharpen that up.”

(on Kobe): He just has a drive and demeanor that nobody else has. It feels like he’s unstoppable.

(on the way he’s playing): Teams are playing me a lot different now so I have to adjust. I’m trying to look to pass more and I got in trouble because I made a couple bad plays. I just have to watch film and get better, so I can make the adjustments and be more unselfish.

RON ARTEST

(On his shooting) “It was not a bad shooting night. However I played is the way I want to be judged. I will take the good with the bad. It was a Ron Artest night.”

(On the Rockets offense in the 2nd half) “They (Lakers) got a lot of boards and we were tied 86 to 86. We had a chance to win. That's a part of the game. 86 to 86 in the 4th (quarter) against the Lakers, I will take that any day but we just didn't pull it out.”

(On the play of Kobe Bryant) “He's a great competitor. It was a fun game. The technical foul was more a respect technical foul. It wasn’t a hate technical foul. It was a good competitive game. We are not friends out there at all. After the season, this will be something we’ll probably talk about at a pickup game or something. But right now, we’ve got a helluva team and a chance to win a championship. But tonight I blame myself for this loss. The rest of the guys played well enough to beat anybody.

YAO MING

(On his not getting many touches in the 4th quarter) “They (Lakers) really tried to deny the post. That happened last game here. We didn't fix it well. Obviously, they really [tightened up] their defense. They squeezed us in the paint. It was very crowded in there.”

(On what the Rockets need to fix after tonight’s game) “Tonight I was thinking from my point a couple things that we need to fix are how to guard Kobe and how to beat a baseline double-team. That is unusual because most teams double team from the top. From the baseline is what I need to improve upon = and how to get a defensive rebound.”

I would say we had three weaknesses that we had tonight, which is defensive rebounding in the third quarter, beating the baseline double team and guarding Kobe. I think, in the playoffs, any one of those three can kill you. I have to cover all those.

LAKERS COACH PHIL JACKSON

(on the game) “We had a wonderful half-time talk and then we came out and played basketball. In the second half Kobe got himself in position to score. Josh Powell had a great game for us. This was an important win for us.”

(on the Artest-Kobe match up) Ronnie is a funny guy and he can get carried away at times. They are both battlers and he is a very intense player.”

KOBE BRYANT

(on the key to the game) “We talked at halftime that we had to stop giving up so many points in the paint. It was a big win for us and the bench came in and did a great job. We became more aggressive in the second half.”

(on his match up with Ron Artest) “It wasn’t much of a battle. I kicked his …..We’ve had some battles in the past but he never talked trash, but he didn’t stop all game until the end.”

PAU GASOL

(on defending Yao) “I tried to mix it up with him and play him aggressively. I had to get into his body and push him as hard as I could.. It was hard work but it paid off. The refs allowed a lot of contact and there were not a lot of fouls called.”

NOTES

Tonight’s attendance of 18,449 ranks as the fourth-largest crowd in team history. It also marks the 18th sellout of the season at Toyota Center .

Houston’s 102-96 loss tonight snapped its home winning streak at 12 straight. The 12-game run currently ranks tied for the fourth-longest home winning streak this season: Cleveland (23), L.A. Lakers (15), Boston (13), Houston (12) and Portland (12, active).

The Rockets limited the Lakers 16 second-quarter points, setting Los Angeles ’ lowest output in that quarter this season. The previous low was 17 points by the Lakers in the second quarter vs. New Orleans (2/20/09).

Houston lost a 14-point lead behind a 62-point second half from the Lakers. The Rockets also saw a 16-point, second-quarter advantage slip away by halftime and got outscored 61-34 in the second half of a 111-82 loss at the L.A. Lakers (11/9/08).

The Rockets registered a season-high 23 turnovers tonight, as the Lakers set Houston ’s opponent season best with 15 steals.

Von Wafer scored a team-high 20 points (9-16 FG, 2-6 3FG) to mark the third 20-point performance of his career. Wafer also recorded a career-high 23 points (10-14 FG, 3-4 3FG) vs. the L.A. Lakers (1/13/09) and netted 21 points (8-15 FG, 3-5 3FG) vs.. Utah (1/21/09).

Yao Ming recorded 16 points (7-9 FG), six rebounds and two blocked shots tonight.. Yao now has at least one blocked shot in each of the last 14 games, which matches his best such streak of the season (14 straight: 11/26/08-12/23/08).

Luis Scola (15 points on 7-9 FG and nine rebounds) and Carl Landry (10 points on 4-6 FG and eight rebounds) combined to score 25 points on 11-of-15 (.733) shooting and pulled down 17 total rebounds.

Ron Artest had 11 points (4-16 FG, 0-8 3FG) and a season-high six steals tonight. His previous best was four steals at the L.A. Lakers (11/9/08), four at Toronto (1/2/09) and four at Denver (3/9/09). Artest also had his streak of games with at least two 3-pointers made snapped at 14 consecutive outings.

Aaron Brooks, who netted 14 points (5-10 FG), completed a rare four-point play tonight, getting fouled on a 3-point make and hitting the ensuing free throw in the fourth quarter.

Kobe Bryant finished with 37 points (14-23 FG), six assists, five boards, four steals and two blocks tonight. Bryant, who also had 33 points (13-32 FG, 1-4 3FG) in the last outing at Houston (1/13/09), scored 31 second-half points (11-17 FG, 2-2 3FG, 7-8 FT) to mark the best half of scoring by an opponent this season. The previous high was 29 second-half points by Phoenix’s Steve Nash at Houston (3/6/09).

Pau Gasol posted 20 points (9-18 FG), five rebounds, four steals and one block tonight. Gasol also notched 20 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks in the first meeting this season at Los Angeles (11/9/08).

Josh Powell was the only other Lakers player in double-digit scoring with 17 points (8-14 FG) tonight, while the Rockets had six players with 10 or more points.

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