HOUSTON - Juwan Howard scored a season-high 23 points and Dikembe Mutombo moved into second place on the all-time blocks list in the Houston Rockets' 102-77 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.

Mutombo blocked five shots and grabbed 19 rebounds, matching a season high and reaching double-digits for the eighth straight game. He now has 3,191 blocks, two more than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the all-time list.

Rafer Alston scored 20 points for the Rockets, who've won seven of nine games since Yao Ming broke a bone in his right leg.

Houston also snapped a four-game losing streak to the Lakers with little scoring help from Tracy McGrady, who'd topped 30 points in each of his last six games. McGrady had only eight points and appeared to aggravate his troublesome back late in the first half. He also had 12 assists.

The Rockets' league-leading scoring defense made sure McGrady's points weren't needed.

Kobe Bryant scored 20 points, but went 6-for-18 from the field, for the Lakers, who were held to a season-low point total. Bryant suffered a minor groin strain in the second quarter and left the game with 3:33 left after playing 34 minutes.

The Lakers shot 34 percent (26 of 76) and mustered a season-low 31 points in the second half.

The Rockets built an early seven-point lead despite McGrady's 2-for-6 start. Bryant scored 10 points in the second quarter during an 11-4 spurt to pull to a 41-41 tie.

McGrady, who missed seven games last month with back spasms, was fouled on a drive by Brian Cook in the final minute of the half and winced in pain as he walked to the free-throw line. He missed both shots and had only six points at the break, though he also had six assists.

Alston, coming off a 2-for-14 shooting night against Chicago on Monday, sank a 3-pointer, then drove for a layup early in the third quarter as the Rockets rebuilt their seven-point lead.

McGrady badly missed his first three shots of the second half, but Battier swished 3-pointers to keep Houston in front.

Mutombo swatted a shot by Andrew Bynum midway through the third quarter, following it with one of his demonstrative finger wags. Mutombo's third block of the game gave him 3,189 in his career, tying Abdul-Jabbar on the all-time list. He passed Kareem with another block on Bynum about 3 minutes later.

Alston scored on two more drives as the Rockets finished the third quarter with an 8-0 run and led 72-58. In the closing seconds of the quarter, Lakers coach Phil Jackson got ejected by referee Tony Brothers for protesting a no-call.

McGrady went to the bench with 10:14 left, but the Rockets still pulled away. Howard scored twice inside, then hit a 20-footer to boost the lead to 80-60.

Luther Head drove for an unlikely dunk over Ronny Turiaf with 4:44 left, putting the Rockets up 88-66 and finishing off the Lakers.

Bryant, who the Lakers said suffered a minor groin strain in the second quarter, gingerly walked to the locker room a minute later.