The Houston Rockets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers with the score of 125-112. The Lakers seemed to control the game, but the Rockets gained momentum late in the 2nd quarter and never looked back. Stats Leaders LAL HOU Points World Peace 24 Harden 31 Rebounds Clark 9 Harden 6 Assists Nash 10 Harden 9 Steals Bryant 3 Lin 3 Blocks Sacre 4 Asik 2 As expected, the Houston Rockets rolled through the undermanned Lakers, playing without Howard or Gasol. Harden did most of the work, as he zipped through the lanes, grabbed rebounds, and facilitated the offense through his teammates. Harden nearly had a triple-double, and the Lakers squad could not keep up with his heroics. Without much help from his teammates (except for World Peace and his three pointers), Kobe reverted to his old habits, shooting 22 times, but only connected on 8 of his shots. Ultimately, it was the Rockets bench that became the X-factor of the game, as players like Delfino, Patterson, and Douglas contributed greatly to the scoreboard. The young Rockets squad seems to be clicking, while the Lakers seem lost, especially with their two big men on the bench helplessly watching their team (and their season) crumble.
