36.8 - L.A.’s shooting percentage in a first quarter that quickly found them down 17-4, and eventually 29-16.
36 - First half points for the Lakers.
28 - Points for Aaron Brooks … through three quarters … en route to a career playoff high 34. He was huge in Game 1 and absent in 2 and 3, making his play serve as a decent barometer for Houston.
18 - L.A.’s deficit at halftime. Back-to-back Bryant jumpers had L.A. within 11, but the Rockets closed the second on a 7-1 run to go up by a healthy margin.
7 - Rockets turnovers through three quarters. They’d averaged 18.6 turnovers in the seven previous meetings with the Lakers this season.
3 - Turnovers by Trevor Ariza in the first quarter, halfway to L.A.’s turnover total from the entire Game 3.
HOUSTON(AP) The Houston Rockets not only beat the Los Angeles Lakers without Yao Ming, they made it look easy.
Aaron Brooks scored a career-high 34, Shane Battier sank five 3-pointers and added 23 and the Houston Rockets routed the Los Angeles Lakers 99-87 on Sunday to even their Western Conference semifinal at two games apiece.
Luis Scola had 11 points and 14 rebounds as the Rockets got exactly the team effort they needed after Yao broke his left foot in the Lakers' win in Game 3.
Game 5 is Tuesday night in Los Angeles, and anyone who thought the Rockets were finished without their best player only needed to watch the first few minutes on Sunday, when Houston built a 22-7 lead.
Pau Gasol scored 30 points and Kobe Bryant had a quiet 15 for Los Angeles.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson warned his team about taking the Rockets too lightly after hearing about Yao's injury. But the Lakers looked lethargic from the start, giving away careless turnovers and playing lax defense.
The Rockets opened the game with a 22-7 run, starting 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Bryant scored the Lakers' first three baskets, but the rest of the team missed its first seven shots.
Houston led 54-36 at the break. The Lakers grabbed only two offensive rebounds and generated only four fast-break points in their lowest-scoring half of the season. Battier had 15 points at halftime, two more than Bryant.
The Rockets outscored Los Angeles 29-18 in the decisive third quarter, led by Brooks' 17 points. The speedy, 6-foot guard finished the quarter by catching a midcourt pass by Ron Artest and putting in a layup just before the buzzer.
Lamar Odom, who scored 16 points in Game 3, drove into Battier and was called for a charge midway through the quarter. He hit the floor hard, limped to the bench and went to the locker room with back spasms. He did not return.
And when Brooks completed the last-second alley-oop, Artest smacked his hands on the scorers' table and smiled to the roaring crowd, in seeming disbelief about the way things were going.
Artest scored only eight points, but had 10 rebounds and six assists.
Bryant returned from a long rest with 5:41 left in the game and the Lakers cut the deficit to 10. But it was too late by then and Brooks fittingly scored Houston's last two points on free throws in the final minute.
Notes: Scola recorded his fifth career postseason double-double. ... Bryant was held under 30 points for the first time in four games at the Toyota Center this season. ... Artest sported a new mohawk hairdo, similar to the one he had before the series began. This time, 'Houston' was shaved on one side and a Rockets' logo adorned the other side.
Copyright 2009 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited
LAKERS - ROCKETS PREVIEW
HOUSTON -- The Houston Rockets not only beat the Los Angeles Lakers without Yao Ming, they made it look easy.
Aaron Brooks scored a career-high 34, Shane Battier sank five 3-pointers and added 23 and the Houston Rockets routed the Los Angeles Lakers 99-87 on Sunday to even their Western Conference semifinal at two games apiece.
Luis Scola had 11 points and 14 rebounds as the Rockets got exactly the team effort they needed after Yao broke his left foot in the Lakers' win in Game 3.
Game 5 is Tuesday night in Los Angeles, and anyone who thought the Rockets were finished without their best player only needed to watch the first few minutes on Sunday, when Houston built a 22-7 lead.
Pau Gasol scored 30 points and Kobe Bryant had a quiet 15 for Los Angeles.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson warned his team about taking the Rockets too lightly after hearing about Yao's injury. But the Lakers looked lethargic from the start, giving away careless turnovers and playing lax defense.
The Rockets opened the game with a 22-7 run, starting 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Bryant scored the Lakers' first three baskets, but the rest of the team missed its first seven shots.
Houston led 54-36 at the break. The Lakers grabbed only two offensive rebounds and generated only four fast-break points in their lowest-scoring half of the season. Battier had 15 points at halftime, two more than Bryant.
The Rockets outscored Los Angeles 29-18 in the decisive third quarter, led by Brooks' 17 points. The speedy, 6-foot guard finished the quarter by catching a midcourt pass by Ron Artest and putting in a layup just before the buzzer.
Lamar Odom, who scored 16 points in Game 3, drove into Battier and was called for a charge midway through the quarter. He hit the floor hard, limped
to the bench and went to the locker room with back spasms. He did not return.
And when Brooks completed the last-second alley-oop, Artest smacked his hands on the scorers' table and smiled to the roaring crowd, in seeming disbelief about the way things were going.
Artest scored only eight points, but had 10 rebounds and six assists.
Bryant returned from a long rest with 5:41 left in the game and the Lakers cut the deficit to 10. But it was too late by then and Brooks fittingly scored Houston's last two points on free throws in the final minute.
Copyright 2009 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited
LAKERS SCOUTING REPORT
As we’ve pointed out many times through the season, an injured animal is a dangerous animal. With Yao Ming out for the rest of the playoffs we cannot allow ourselves to think that this means the series is over. The Rockets have more then enough talent without Yao to beat us and they have played without him before for stretches so it is not a completely unfamiliar set of circumstances for them. They will now simply rely on other players to step up for this one game the same way we needed Jordan to step up in game 3. This is once again why losing game one on our home floor hurts so much because if Houston gets a great game from some of their role players we could find ourselves in a 2-2 series. In a three game series anything can happen and we definitely don’t want to put ourselves in that kind of situation.
So Step one in securing a game four victory is to simply come in with the mentality that Houston will play their best game of the series today. With the home court fans providing the extra energy they need we have to play the smart way in order to keep the crowd out of it. Step two is to understand that some of the sequences that we’ve only seen a few times will probably be used more often today. For example, some options out of their elbow set have been run on occasion but we expect to see them more now. One such option is generically referred to as the “Paul Pierce Play”. They ran this a couple times in the 4th quarter of game three to get Artest deep post catches. This is a sequence where the point passes to the big man at the elbow opposite of where Artest starts out (he started out on the right side baseline). With the other big man lifted, Artest smashes in the paint looking to receive the pass and immediate score. We need to do a better job on this. They also have run some screen and rolls with Artest handling (and usually Scola setting the screen) but we will probably see more screen and rolls. Finally, they will need Brooks and Lowry to score more so we need to be ready to defend them in transition (no open 3’s for Brooks) and in their pick and roll game.
Once again if we do not bring the proper energy and attitude to this game we will find ourselves in an extended series. We can’t take a breath and think it will be easy without Yao. In fact if we don’t bring the energy this could be our toughest game of the playoffs. Read the full scouting report...
LAKERS UPDATES
LAKERS vs. HOUSTON IN THE POSTSEASON
The Lakers and Rockets have met 7 times in the postseason (1981, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1996, 1999, 2004) with Los Angeles advancing on 4 occasions (1990, 1991, 1999,
2004). The Lakers have won the last two series, defeating Houston in the First Round of both the 1999 (3-1) and 2004 (4-1) Playoffs. The Lakers swept the Rockets (3-0)
in the First Round of both the 1990 and 1991 Playoffs. The Lakers losses to Houston came in the 1981 Western Conf. First Round (1-2), 1986 Western Conf. Finals (1-4)
and 1996 Western Conf. First Round (1-3). Overall, the Lakers are now 17-13 against the Rockets in the playoffs, going 12-6 at home but just 5-7 on the road in Houston.
BRYANT PASSES LARRY BIRD FOR 6th ON NBA’S ALL-TIME PLAYOFF SCORING LIST
With 33 points 5/8 at Houston, Kobe Bryant moved past Larry Bird (3,897) for 6th on the NBA’s all-time playoff scoring list. In the Lakers First Round series, Kobe Bryant
scored 38 points 4/25 at Utah to move past Hakeem Olajuwon (3,755) and John Havlicek (3,776) for 7th on the NBA’s all-time playoff scoring list. On April 19, Bryant
passed Magic Johnson (3,701) for 9th on the NBA’s all-time playoff scoring list and 3rd on the Lakers franchise playoff scoring list. In moving past Johnson, only Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar (4,070) and Jerry West (4,457) have scored more points in a Lakers uniform during the playoffs than Bryant (3,928). Next up on the all-time NBA list is Jerry
West (5th/4,457). Among all players with 2,500+ postseason points, only Michael Jordan (33.4), Jerry West (29.1), Elgin Baylor (27.0), Hakeem Olajuwon (25.9), Shaquille
O’Neal (25.2) and Karl Malone (24.7) have a higher postseason scoring average than Bryant (24.6).
40-POINT GAMES IN THE POSTSEASON
In the Lakers victory over the Rockets May 6, Kobe Bryant scored 40 points on 16-of-27 shooting including 2-3 3FG and 6-7 FT. The 40 points marked the 7th time in his
career that Bryant has scored 40+ points in a playoff game, with the Lakers going 6-1 in those contests. Bryant’s seven 40+ point games rank third among active players
Shaquille O’Neal (12) and Allen Iverson (10) and now rank 4th in team history behind Jerry West (20), Elgin Baylor (14) and Shaquille O’Neal (11). Bryant’s 40+ point
playoff games in chronological order are as follows: 48 points 5/13/01 @ SAC (W), 45 points 5/19/01 @ SA (W), 42 points 5/11/04 vs. SA (W), 50 points 5/4/06 vs. PHO
(L), 45 points 4/26/07 vs. PHO (W), 49 points 4/23/08 vs. DEN (W) and 40 points 5/6/09 vs. HOU (W).
Additionally, this is the fourth consecutive postseason in which Bryant has had at least one game with 40+ points. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only four other
players in NBA history have had 40+ points games in each of four straight playoff years: Michael Jordan had an eight-year streak (1985-1992) and a four year streak
(1994-1997) while George Mikan (1948-1951, Elgin Baylor (1959-1962) and Allen Iverson (1999-2002) also had four year streaks.
During the regular season, Bryant has scored 40+ points 96 times in his career. Last season, Bryant’s 46 points February 1 at Toronto moved him past Elgin Baylor (88 40-
plus games) for third all-time. In the history of the NBA, only two players have more career regular season 40-point games: Wilt Chamberlain (271) and Michael Jordan
(173). The Lakers are 65-31 in games that Bryant has scored 40-plus points. This season, the Lakers were 2-2 when Bryant scored 40-plus.
LAKERS IN BEST-OF-SEVEN SERIES
The Lakers are 65-29 in best-of-seven series (any round) all-time. (59-28 Los Angeles, 6-1 Minneapolis)
The Lakers are now 61-34 in Game 1 of best-of-seven series (any round) all-time. (57-31 Los Angeles, 4-3 Minneapolis)
When losing Game 1 of a best-of-seven series (any round), the Lakers are 11-22 all-time. (9-21 Los Angeles, 2-1 Minneapolis)
When losing Game 1 at home of a best-of-seven series (any round), the Lakers are 7-3 all-time. (6-3 Los Angeles, 1-0 Minneapolis)
2004 NBA Finals (lost in 5), 2001 NBA Finals (won in 5), 1990 Conference Semifinals (lost in 5), 1988 NBA Finals (won in 7), 1980 Conference Finals (won in 5),
1977 Conference Finals (lost in 4), 1972 NBA Finals (won in 5), 1972 Conference Finals (won in 6), 1969 Division Semifinals (won in 6), 1953 NBA Finals (won in 5)
The Lakers are 55-40 in Game 2 of best-of-seven series (any round) all-time. (52-36 Los Angles, 3-4 Minneapolis)
When splitting Games 1 and 2 of a best-of-seven series (any round), the Lakers are 25-12 all-time. (20-12 Los Angeles, 5-0 Minneapolis)
When tied 1-1 and winning Game 3 of a best-of-seven series (any round), the Lakers are 16-4 all-time.
The Lakers three series losses came in 1961 vs. St. Louis, 1962 vs. Boston, 1984 vs. Boston and 2006 vs. Phoenix.
When tied 1-1 and losing Game 3 of a best-of-seven series (any round), the Lakers are 4-8 all-time.
The Lakers four series victories when came in 1970 vs. Phoenix, 1988 vs. Utah, 2002 vs. Sacramento and 2003 vs. Minnesota.
The Lakers are 56-38 in Game 3 of a best-of-seven series (any round) all-time. (51-36 Los Angeles, 5-2 Minneapolis)
Pau Gasol
Kobe Bryant
Shannon Brown
