"He's going to keep shooting, and once he knocks down a few, he gets rolling and he's hard to stop."

He scored 15 points in the first 5:13 of the period and Los Angeles opened a 74-64 lead. He went 9-for-13 in the quarter and the Lakers were up 88-70 heading by the end of the period.

"I just wanted to come out and provide some energy, and my shot started falling," Bryant said. "It turned into a lot of momentum for us. The third quarter has been our nemesis all year."

Among Bryant's other achievements this season was his 81-point game that was a team record ¡ª and second in NBA history behind only Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point performance.

Smush Parker had 15 points and 10 assists for Los Angeles. Lamar Odom added 21 points, and Kwame Brown had 10 points.

Rafer Alston had 12 points and Stromile Swift 10 for Houston.

The Lakers shot 55 percent, including Bryant's 19-of-32, to the Rockets' 44 percent.