Lakers-Rockets Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Mar 19 2012 3:52PM

The Los Angeles Lakers appear to have upgraded at point guard with one trade they made before last week's deadline, but may have disrupted team chemistry with another.

The Houston Rockets were involved with one of those deals, and in no way did it help their immediate need for a point guard.

Five days after their trade, the Pacific Division-leading Lakers try to bounce back from a loss when they visit the short-handed Rockets on Tuesday night.

Los Angeles (28-17) acquired Ramon Sessions from Cleveland on Thursday for Luke Walton and Jason Kapono, and then sent Derek Fisher to Houston for backup big man Jordan Hill. Adding the speedy Sessions, who averaged 10.5 points and 5.2 assists with the Cavaliers, seems to be an improvement over the 37-year-old Fisher, who averaged 5.9 points and 3.3 assists.

The trade, though, upset several Lakers veterans. Kobe Bryant, a teammate of Fisher's for 13 seasons, considered the five-time NBA champion an invaluable ingredient in the club's chemistry.

The deal appeared to make sense for the Rockets (24-22), who only have one healthy point guard and could use a veteran to bolster a playoff push. Fisher, however, never reported to Houston and confirmed Sunday he reached a buyout agreement with the team.

The Rockets are now forced to lean heavily on Goran Dragic at the point until Kyle Lowry returns from a bacterial infection. Lowry, averaging 15.9 points and 7.2 assists, is expected to be sidelined for at least another week. Dragic is averaging 16.0 points and 9.2 assists in six starts since Lowry became ill.

The Lakers are coming off a 103-99 loss to Utah on Sunday that snapped a five-game winning streak. Andrew Bynum had 33 points and went 12 of 14 from the field while Pau Gasol scored 18, but Bryant suffered mightily to find his rhythm.

He had 15 points and missed 17 of his 20 shots - his worst shooting performance since going 2 of 16 in a loss to Memphis on Dec. 20, 2004.

"The bottom line is, he's our guy," coach Mike Brown said. "The shots he took, I'd give it to him again. I don't know how many shots he missed near the rim - I mean, point-blank shots."

Bryant, the league's leading scorer at 28.7 per game, had no trouble shooting in the Lakers' lone matchup with the Rockets, a 108-99 win Jan. 3. He scored 37 points and went 14 of 29, while Bynum had 21 points and 22 rebounds.

Los Angeles is 10-2 in its last 12 against Houston, and Bryant has averaged 30.8 points in the last four meetings.

The Rockets are coming off a 99-86 loss to Phoenix on Sunday, which allowed the Suns to move within one-half game of Houston for the final Western Conference playoff spot. Luis Scola had 18 points, Dragic scored 16 and Marcus Camby, acquired Thursday from Portland, had eight points and eight rebounds in his Rockets debut.

"It's always disappointing when you lose but we've just got to get home and get some practice under our belt with some new guys and go out and play," coach Kevin McHale said.

Houston's offense was a bit stagnant Sunday and could have better luck against a Lakers team that has allowed 105.0 points over its last four road games. The Lakers are surrendering an average of 97.3 points on the road - 9.1 more than they give up at home.

Dragic leads Rockets' rally over Lakers

By CHRIS DUNCAN
Posted Mar 21 2012 12:37AM

HOUSTON (AP) Kobe Bryant gave Goran Dragic a quick hug after Houston's pesky point guard led the Rockets past the Lakers on Wednesday night.

Dragic hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 28 seconds left and finished with 16 points and 13 assists in Houston's 107-104 comeback victory.

Down by nine with 5 minutes left, the Rockets had a 12-0 run to take the lead. Dragic scored 10 points in the final quarter, putting the Rockets ahead for good with his second 3 of the game.

Houston held on and Bryant made a point to meet Dragic at midcourt after the final buzzer.

"He just said, `Good game, I wish you luck,"' Dragic said. "Nothing special."

Bryant remembers when the Lakers struggled to guard Dragic when he backed up Steve Nash with Phoenix.

"A lot of times when we played them in the playoffs, in the Western Conference finals, when he came off the bench, that's the unit that really gave us the biggest headache," Bryant said. "He's really developed into a hell of a basketball player."

Luis Scola and Courtney Lee scored 23 points apiece for the Rockets. Bryant had 29 points, and Pau Gasol added 21 for the Lakers.

Bryant, coming off a 3-for-20 shooting night Sunday, went 10 for 27 with two 3-pointers against Houston. He shed the protective mask that he'd been wearing since Dwyane Wade broke his nose in the All-Star game and says he doesn't plan to wear it again.

"I might donate it, see if anybody's dumb enough to buy that sweaty mask," he said.

The Lakers had 15 turnovers and were outrebounded 40-31.

L.A. missed five straight shots during the Rockets' late spurt before Bryant sank a fadeaway with 1:28 remaining to cut the gap to 100-99. Patrick Patterson split two free throws before Bryant tied it with a long jumper over 6-foot-9 rookie Chandler Parsons, who guarded him much of the night.

"I have a couple of inches on him, so I just tried to make everything tough for him," Parsons said. "But he still made some ridiculous shots."

After Dragic answered with his 3-pointer from the corner, Bryant missed a straight-on 3-pointer off the back of the rim. Parsons rebounded and Lee's free throws with 10.6 seconds left put the game out of reach.

The Lakers have allowed more than 100 points in four of their last five games.

"I'm concerned," Bryant said, "but I'm confident we'll get it (the defense) fixed. We've responded to challenges all year, and in a way, it's good to go through something like this."

Gasol and Andrew Bynum made 10 of 14 shots in the first quarter and the Lakers built a 40-25 lead.

Bryant started 3 for 5 on Wednesday. He drove into the lane late in the quarter, wrapped the ball around his back and hit a left-handed shot in the lane, part of a 20-7 Lakers' spurt.

"That's like something you see in a video game," Parsons said.

The Rockets played stingier defense in the second quarter, and the Lakers cooled off, going 6 for 18 from the field. Houston finished the half with a 12-6 spurt to trail only 56-51 at the break.

Bynum was ejected late in the third quarter after picking up his second technical foul for mouthing off to referee Monty McCutchen. Bynum scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds before departing. He did not speak to reporters after the game.

"One of his big strengths is the chip on his shoulder that he plays with," Bryant said. "You can't expect him to have that one night and then knock him for it the next. I like that chip that he plays with."

Notes: The Lakers' 40-point first quarter was a season high. ... Rockets G Kevin Martin (strained right shoulder) sat out for the fifth straight game, and Houston coach Kevin McHale did not know when the team's leading scorer might be ready to return. ... Yao Ming had a courtside seat, the first Rockets game he's watched since retiring from basketball last summer. The 7-foot-6 center's career was cut short by injuries, mostly to his left foot. He says he's healthy now, "good enough for walking, but not good enough for playing basketball." Yao seemed content on Wednesday night and had no regrets that he and Tracy McGrady could never deliver a championship. "We had this chance before, and we missed it," Yao said. "There's no `if.' We just need to face ourselves, and say we did our best and walk away." Former Rocket and Laker Robert Horry watched the game with Yao.

Notebook: Rockets 107, Lakers 104

Posted Wednesday March 21, 2012 12:57AM

By Matt Miller For NBA.com

THE FACTS: The Houston Rockets erased a 17-point first-half deficit only to find themselves trailing by double-digits again midway through the fourth quarter. Another comeback? Against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers?

No matter. Luis Scola scored 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting, and Courtney Lee added 23 points, five rebounds and four assists as Houston overcame a 12-point deficit over the final six-plus minutes of regulation to knock off the Lakers 107-104 on Tuesday at Toyota Center. The Rockets (25-22), winners of three of their last five games, outrebounded L.A. 15-7 overall and 7-2 offensively in the fourth period to fuel the unlikely comeback.

Bryant scored 29 points on 27 shot attempts to lead the Lakers (28-18), who have followed a five-game winning streak with back-to-back losses. Pau Gasol finished with 21 points on 10-for-14 shooting, while Andrew Bynum chipped in with 16 points and seven boards before he was ejected for arguing with an official with 1:10 remaining in the third quarter.

QUOTABLE: "They got a lot of rebounds. There was one stretch where they got three or four cracks at a possession, and that changes the momentum of the game."
-- Bryant on the key to Houston's late-game spurt

THE STAT: The Lakers have struggled to play well on the defensive end over the last few games, and ineffective offense and turnovers are two major reasons behind this. L.A., which allowed 24 points off 15 turnovers Tuesday, has surrendered an average of 20.5 points off 17.8 turnovers per game in its last six contests.

TURNING POINT: After blowing a 17-point lead, the Lakers appeared to have regained control of the game when they surged to a 95-83 lead with 6:40 remaining in the fourth quarter. In desperate need of a win, the Rockets responded with their best stretch of basketball since the All-Star break. Thanks to seven buckets in nine shots and strong defense and rebounding on the other end of the court, Houston ripped off a 17-2 run to grab a 100-97 advantage with two minutes left to play. Bryant would not be denied, however, sandwiching a pair of jumpers around a Rockets' free throw to tie the game at 101. Seconds after Bryant quieted the crowd, Goran Dragic (16 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds) caught a crisp pass from Lee and sent the Houston faithful into a frenzy by burying a 3-pointer that put the Rockets ahead 104-101 with 28 seconds remaining. For the second game in a row, Bryant had a decent look at a game-tying basket, but his shot did not fall.

QUOTABLE II: "I was confident that it was going to go in. I was making fun of Courtney [Lee], saying, 'I did it. In Oklahoma City, I passed you that corner 3, and now you did it for me.'"
-- Dragic on his trey in the final minute, which proved to be the margin of victory

HOT: Bynum has received a lot of attention for his impressive performance of late, but Gasol (21 points on 10-for-14 shooting) has also been on quite a tear. The 7-footer from Spain has averaged 16.7 points on 53.0 percent (62-for-117) shooting, 9.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.8 blocks over his last nine outings.

NOT: Bryant shot the ball better against the Rockets than he did during Sunday's 3-for-20 brickfest, but he was far from efficient offensively. Including Tuesday's 10-for-27 performance, Bryant has shot just 27.7 percent (13-for-47) from the field over his last two games.

GOOD MOVE: Bynum terrorized Houston's frontline early in this game, but the Rockets responded by sending double-teams at the 285-pound center. Bynum, known for his inability to pass out of double-teams, repeatedly turned the ball over and got tied up for jump-balls. Without making the change in its defensive approach, Houston may have been run out of its own arena before halftime.

BAD MOVE: Perhaps Bynum's frustrations with going against two defenders at once overwhelmed him, because he was kicked out of the game after picking up his second technical foul with 1:10 left in the third quarter. Bynum did not even get his money's worth for the ejection, considering he received the technical as Rockets center Marcus Camby was shooting free throws. Not surprisingly, L.A. was crushed on the boards after Bynum strolled to the locker room.

QUOTABLE III: "We need him on the floor. He, nor anybody else right now, should put themselves in jeopardy even if [the ref's ruling] was unjustified. Nobody can put themselves in jeopardy to get themselves removed from the ballgame."
-- L.A. coach Mike Brown on Bynum's ejection

BAD MOVE II: Bynum slapped hands with a few fans while walking off the court and then refused to speak with the media after the game, which could put a small dent in his bank account if he is indeed fined for his questionable actions.

NOTABLE: Bryant played without a protective mask on his face for the first time since Dwyane Wade injured him on a hard foul during the All-Star game. ... The Rockets played without leading scorer Kevin Martin (strained right shoulder) for the fifth consecutive game. ... Former Rocket Yao Ming attended Tuesday's game, marking his first appearance at a Houston game since his retirement. ... Houston won for only the third time this season (3-18) when trailing after three quarters. ... The Rockets overcame a double-digit deficit in a victory for just the second time this season. ... Houston is now 8-3 in games decided by four points or less. ... The Rockets netted a season-high 34 points in the fourth quarter. ... L.A. lost for only the second time this season (10-2) when scoring at least 100 points and for the first time this season (7-1) when shooting at least 50 percent overall. ...The Lakers scored a season-high 40 points in the first period. ... Dragic has scored at least 10 points in a career-high nine consecutive games.

UP NEXT: For the Lakers, Wednesday @ Dallas (ESPN), Friday vs. Portland, Sunday vs. Memphis (ESPN). For the Rockets, Thursday vs. Golden State, Saturday vs. Dallas (NBA TV), Monday vs. Sacramento.

• Lakers: Eyenga
• Rockets: Lowry

• Lakers: Bynum, Bynum
• Rockets: --

• Lead Changes: 7
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: Toyota Center, Houston, TX
• Officials: #13 Monty McCutchen, #56 Mark Ayotte, #68 Marat Kogut
• Attendance: 18391
• Duration: 2:30