After suffering their second loss of the month, the Los Angeles Lakers visited the Toyota Center on the second of a three-game road trip against the Houston Rockets. On March 11, 2009, the two teams faced off in what would be a preview of the Western Conference semifinals.
The first quarter was a closely fought battle, as the Lakers and Rockets traded baskets and found themselves tied at 24 after the first 12 minutes of play.
Houston’s reserves would take control of the second quarter and trail Los Angeles by 11 points – entering halftime with a lead by the same margin.
The Lakers responded with an impressive third quarter, led by Kobe Bryant, who took control of the offense with 13 points. With that effort, Los Angeles trailed by just three heading into the final period. As was the case in the third, Bryant’s hot hand helped erase the deficit.
He scored 19 points in the fourth quarter, ultimately propelling the Lakers to a 102-96 victory. It was the first of three straight victories for Los Angeles, which continues to separate itself in the standings.
In total, Bryant recorded a game-high 37 points and +15 plus-minus. He added four steals and two blocks on the defensive end in just under 40 minutes of play.
Pau Gasol also filled up the stat sheet, scoring 20 points while racking up five rebounds, four steals and a block in just over 42 minutes on the court. Josh Powell was the only other Lakers player to reach double figures, scoring 17 points.
Von Wafer contributed 20 points to the Rockets off the bench, totaling three steals and a block in just under 28 minutes.
Luis Scola was one rebound away from a double-double with 15 points, while Yao Ming dominated the paint with 16 points, six rebounds and two blocks.
For the Lakers, the win improved their record to a Western Conference-best 51-13. The Rockets fell to 42-24 on the year, but maintained their spot in the playoffs.
Lakers beat Rockets in playoffs
As noted, these two teams met in the Western Conference semifinals in an epic seven-game series that the Lakers won before also winning the championship.
