The Houston Rockets, determined not to fold in the wake of a season-ending injury to star center Yao Ming, shocked the Los Angeles Lakers 99-87 yesterday to tie their National Basketball Association playoff series.
The Houston Rockets, determined not to fold in the wake of a season-ending injury to star center Yao Ming, shocked the Los Angeles Lakers 99-87 yesterday to tie their National Basketball Association playoff series.
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Point guard Aaron Brooks scored a career-high 34 points to lead the Rockets, who knotted the best-of-seven Western Conference semi-final series at two games apiece.
Shane Battier scored 23 points, including five 3-pointers, for an explosive Houston lineup that established a 22-7 lead in the opening minutes and never trailed.
"I think everyone but us got the memo that we weren't supposed to show up today without Yao," Battier said.
"I'm not surprised," he added. "It almost sounds cliche, but we're a resilient group. We talk about bouncing back. Through adversity, through lineup changes, through trades, through injuries, we've never quit and we've never stopped believing."
Luis Scola notched the fifth playoff double-double of his career, with 11 points and 14 rebounds for Houston.
China's Yao, who learned Saturday that he would miss the rest of Houston's campaign with a hairline fracture in his left foot, watched from the sidelines.
He had limped off the court after Houston's game-three defeat on Friday.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson had warned his players not to take the Rockets too lightly because of Yao's injury.
"I don't want my players to think it's going to be an easy battle tonight," he said before the game. "It's not going to be easy."
But the Lakers looked sloppy as the Rockets built a 54-36 halftime lead.
"They (Los Angeles) didn't anticipate the energy that they (Houston) were going to come with," Jackson said. "But you say as much as you can as a coach and then the players have to execute and do it on the floor."
Houston led 83-54 after the third period, with Brooks, a lightning-quick 6-footer, scoring 17. He closed the third by colleting a long pass from Ron Artest and nailing a layup.
Brooks, who is in is second season, inherited the starting spot when Houston dealt Rafer Alston to Orlando.
He has been proving himself worthy throughout the playoffs, but said his teammates deserved much of the credit for Sunday's show.
"I'm lucky to have these guys," he said. "It makes it a lot easier on me."
Spain's Pau Gasol led the Lakers with 30 points, while Kobe Bryant scored 15 for Los Angeles, who host game five on Tuesday.
Artest had just eight points but brought down 10 rebounds with six assists.
"This was the effort we expected," said Battier. "I don't know about the result, but it was the effort that we expected. There was a different look to our team today."
Midway through the third the Lakers' Lamar Odom charged into Battier. He fell to the floor and remained there a few moments before he went to the bench and then the locker room with back spasms that ended his day.
After a spell on the bench, Bryant returned midway through the fourth to help the Lakers narrow the gap, but they never really threatened.
"I just don't think we started the game with the right energy or the right focus or sense of urgency," Bryant said.
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