Lakers beat Rockets on Kobe's clutch 3-point
Kobe Bryant scored 13 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter and hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 27 seconds left in the game to give the Lakers a road victory against a short-handed Houston Rockets 105-100 on Tuesday night.
Bryant was struggling with his shots early, making only eight of 23 shots through three quarters. But he sank five of his nine shots in the fourth quarter, including the final three-pointer that sealed the win. His 32 shot attempts is a season-high.
Vladimir Radmanovic made five of his six shots, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. Trevor Ariza scored 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting and Lamar Odom added 10 points off-the-bench. Josh Powell connected on three of his four shots for six points in 12 minutes.
Pau Gasol continues to struggle offensively, taking only nine shots and making just three for 11 points with just seven rebounds in 42 minutes. Andrew Bynum only played for 27 minutes and scored 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting with just a single rebound and five fouls.
This is the Lakers' fourth straight and 14th in the last 17 games overall. The Rockets have lost four of seven games since the start of the New Year.
Von Wafer, the Lakers' second-round pick in 2005 but waived in October 2006, scored a career-high 23 points. Carl Landry contributed 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting off-the-bench. Yao Ming scored 19 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. Rafer Alston added 11 points.
Both teams have three players out of their line up due to various injuries. Tracy McGrady, Ron Artest and reserve guard Luther Head didn't suit up for the Rockets in this game while Luke Walton, Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic are in the Lakers' injury list.
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