LOS ANGELES - Yao Ming and Kobe bryand battled it out in the first half
with Bryant scoring 19 points and Yao scoring 20 to push the Rockets into a
52-51 lead.
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Houston Rockets
center Yao Ming looks to get around Los Angeles Lakers center Kwame Brown
during the second half of their NBA basketball game at Staples Center in
Los Angeles Sunday, April 2, 2006. [AP] |
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But the
Lakers star took the game over early in the third quarter and led Los
Angeles' to a 104-88 victory over Houston.
Yao scored 33 points with 16 rebounds, finishing 16-for-25
from the floor.
The Lakers paid for its decision of relying
on 6-foot-11 Brown to guard Yao by himself most of the first half. Then
they switched to more double-coverage on the Chinese
all-star center in the second.
Yao was limited, taking only eight shots after halftime with 13 points.
Bryant scored 43 points Sunday afternoon in . It was his 23rd game of 40 or
more points tying a Lakers single-season record set by Elgin Baylor in 1962-63.
"I never in my wildest dreams dreamed of being in such great company like
Elgin and the other greats that have been here," Bryant said. "I've learned from
a lot of greats, too, so I can't take credit for it."
His Lakers' teammates nevertheless give him credit for his 40-point sprees.
"That is crazy to think about, especially when you know every night that the
other team's defense is focused on him," said the Lakers' Luke Walton, who had
10 points and six rebounds against the Rockets.
The Lakers' Lamar Odom said, "Today he could easily have gone for 50."
Bryant went to the bench with 3:51 remaining and the Lakers ahead 97-82.
Houston's Keith Bogans tried, mostly futilely, to slow down Bryant.
"He's one of the toughest players that I've defended in this league," Bogans
said. "He just keeps going. He'll hit a couple, then he'll miss, but he keeps
playing with confidence.