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Rockets take down Lakers

Apr 7, 2012 - 6:20 AM Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Luis Scola scored 10 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter as the Houston Rockets outlasted the Los Angels Lakers, 112-107, at Staples Center.

Goran Dragic added 26 points and 11 assists while Marcus Camby contributed 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Rockets, who won for the sixth time in nine games.

"Scola was really good. He made shot after shot and Goran was fantastic. This team will always lay it on the line," Rockets head coach Kevin McHale said.

Kobe Bryant netted a game-high 28 points, Metta World Peace had 23 and Pau Gasol finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for Los Angeles, which had its four-game win streak snapped.

Andrew Bynum had 19 points, seven rebounds and two blocks for the Lakers before getting ejected from the game early in the fourth quarter after receiving his second technical foul.

The Lakers held a 59-50 lead at the half and stretched their advantage to 11 early in the third on Bryant's jumper. Houston, though, battled back with a 14-4 run to make it a one-point game, 67-66.

Los Angeles answered with a 6-1 swing to regain some distance before the Rockets responded again as Dragic's three-pointer kicked off a 13-2 push to take an 80-75 lead and Houston carried an 84-81 advantage into the fourth quarter.

Bynum opened the fourth with his final points of the game when he connected on a hook shot to bring the Lakers within one, but he was then given his second technical foul for taunting the Rockets bench as he ran down the court.

"We told him at the half, 'You have one [technical] don't pick up a second' and he went out and got it. It's not right," Lakers head coach Mike Brown said about Bynum.

It was a back-and-forth contest over the next eight-plus minutes as the lead changed hands six times and the score was tied on five different occasions.

However, after Matt Barnes' lone basket of the game, a three-pointer from the top of the key, tied the game at 99 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the contest, Scola connected on a pair of free throws to spark a 9-2 run that was capped by a pair of driving layups by Dragic to put Houston ahead for good.

The Lakers could get no closer than three from there as the Rockets made enough free throws down the stretch to hold on for the win.

Neither team could take control over a back-and-forth opening eight minutes of the game that saw eight lead changes, nine ties and no one take a lead larger than two points until the Rockets closed out the first with a 9-4 run to carry a 29-24 advantage into the second quarter.

Samuel Dalembert started the second with an alley-oop dunk to stretch Houston's lead to seven before World Peace netted seven straight points to spark a 17-4 swing by the Lakers to take a 41-35 edge just past the midpoint of the frame.

Houston later managed to close the gap to one, 43-42, on Scola's three-point play, but Bryant held off the Rockets with a dunk and Los Angeles maintained a one-possession lead until the Lakers ripped off a 10-0 push before Patrick Patterson's layup brought Houston within 59-50 at the break.

Game Notes

The game saw a total of 18 lead changes and 17 ties...With the loss, the Lakers stay two games ahead of the idle Clippers for the top spot in the Pacific Division...Houston currently sits in the seventh seed of the Western Conference...Los Angeles held a 48-35 advantage on the glass and outscored Houston in the paint, 56-44.