Battier seals season-opening win over Lakers

Houston 95, L.A. Lakers 93

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Damien Pierce
Rockets.com Staff Writer

LOS ANGELES -- Shortly after wrapping up a postgame interview on the floor of Staples Center, Tracy McGrady pulled up next to Shane Battier and patted his teammate on the back.

The Rockets star wanted to be the first to share his gratitude with the forward.

"Thanks for bailing us out," McGrady said.

Battier sure did.

Before a national television audience on the NBA's opening night, Battier spoiled a last-minute comeback from the Los Angeles Lakers and rescued the Rockets from a season-opening letdown with a thrilling 95-93 victory Tuesday night.

Battier, who spent his opening night chasing Kobe Bryant all over the hardwood, canned a deep three-pointer in front of the Lakers bench with 2.5 seconds remaining to save the Rockets. The forward then sealed the game by fouling Bryant before the Lakers' star could attempt a potential game-tying three-pointer. Bryant, who was forced to the line, made his first free throw, but the Lakers couldn't get off another shot after the NBA's reigning scoring champ intentionally missed the second.

Houston needed Battier's late heroics after blowing a 12-point advantage in the final two minutes thanks a trio of turnovers. Bryant, who managed a game-high 45 points despite a sore right wrist, scored 18 points in the fourth quarter to nearly cap off the dramatic comeback.

Despite the close call and the collection of last-minute mistakes, Houston (1-0) picked up its first season-opening win on the road since knocking off the Utah Jazz in 1985. The Rockets, of course, can thank Battier for that.

"The last game-winning shot I hit was six years ago as a rookie," said Battier, who netted the game-winner over New York when he was with the Memphis Grizzlies. "It's been a while. But it feels good to win this game. It really would have been a shame to lose this one."

No kidding.

The Rockets, which were debuting a new high-motion offense under new coach Rick Adelman, were in control through most of the second half. Behind Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, the Rockets stretched their lead to 14 points in the fourth quarter and still had a double-digit cushion when Lakers fans started heading for the exit with less than two minutes remaining.

Unfortunately, that cushion hardly mattered.

With Bryant leading the way, the Lakers took advantage of three Houston turnovers and erased Houston's lead with a 12-0 run. Bryant, who did most of his damage from the line by shooting a career-high 27 free throws, scored nine of those points. Derek Fisher, the Lakers' veteran point guard, netted a 20-footer with 13.9 seconds left that tied the game 92-92.

That's when the Rockets cued Battier.

The Rockets forward found a wide-open spot 27-feet from the hoop after the Lakers atttempted to trap McGrady with Kwame Brown and Bryant.

"I didn't have a shot because Kwame and Kobe were all over me," said McGrady, who led the Rockets with 30 points and six rebounds. "I saw Shane's man back off him a little bit so I just kicked it to him. It was tough shot because he was so far from the three-point line. I don't even think he looked at the basket when he shot it. But I'll take it."

The Rockets still had to sweat out the final seconds after Battier's shot. On the in-bounds pass, the Lakers were able to get the ball in Bryant's hands. But before Bryant could try to send the game to overtime, Battier fouled the Lakers star.

The call riled some Lakers fans who thought Bryant was fouled in the act of shooting, but replays showed that Battier grabbed the star's right arm before he could put up a shot.

"We wanted to foul before he got the shot and we definitely did that,'' Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "He hadn't even turned around yet when Shane fouled him."

The foul helped the Rockets overcome 19 turnovers, a sluggish start on the offensive end and a rough finish. Adelman, who picked up his first win in charge of the Rockets, noted that his team is going to have to close out games better than they did against the Lakers.

"We didn't finish it well," Adelman said. "The second half we were pretty solid until the last few minutes. It's hard when Bryant keeps getting to the line. The clock stops. But we have to have better composure and handle everything better at the end of the game."

Battier, at least, bailed them out this time. After struggling with his shot most of the game, he picked a good time to find his range.

"I thought I was out of bounds when I caught it because I was so far from the basket," said Battier, who finished with 11 points. "I just wanted to get it to the rim. I'm glad it went in."