Kobe confirms directing A-Rod to German knee therapy

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kobe Bryant confirms he recently directed Alex Rodriguez to the German doctor who performed the treatment the Yankees' slugger had on his right knee.

"I gave him the phone number," Bryant said Thursday night before the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the New York Knicks.

Bryant opened up about the steps he has taken to heal his arthritic joints in a rare pregame interview, crediting the therapy with dramatic improvement in his own troublesome right knee and an injured left ankle in recent months.

When Rodriguez inquired about Bryant's treatment, Bryant vouched for the German doctor who developed the course of injections of plasma-rich platelets that supposedly stimulate healing in arthritis-affected areas.

Bryant says his knee is now 95 percent healthy after at least three surgeries in the last eight years. He apparently had the same treatment done in October on his ankle, which also isn't limiting him this season.

"You can't just try something just to try it," Bryant said. "It has to make sense. It has to be something that you can back with research and study and things like that."

And how did Bryant get information about the therapy - called Orthokine - being done in Duesseldorf?

"It's my job to know these things," Bryant said with a grin.

The Yankees might benefit from Bryant's knowledge. General manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday that Rodriguez is "100 percent," with "no red flags" going into spring training.

Rodriguez had surgery on his right knee last July and saw his power drop in the second half and postseason. He played in 99 games and hit 16 homers, struggling to produce at his usual prolific levels.

Bryant is far from fully healthy. He's still playing with a torn ligament in his right wrist, wearing a brace on the joint whenever he isn't on court.

He's no longer wearing a wrap on the oft-injured index finger on his right hand, but that's because the joint is now "bone on bone," according to Bryant.

And Bryant hasn't stopped trying new things to heal more quickly and thoroughly. Several Lakers joined him at a cryotherapy clinic in the Sacramento area on Monday, trying out an extreme cold chamber that's thought to decrease pain and swelling in athletes.

Bryant can't remember when his friendship with A-Rod started, but they've been friendly for years, going out to dinner and talking regularly. He's grateful he could help the 36-year-old slugger get back in top shape.

"As a Yankee fan? Hell yeah," Bryant said.

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Josh McRoberts signs two-year contract with Lakers

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) -- The Los Angeles Lakers have signed free-agent forward Josh McRoberts to a two-year contract.

The Lakers announced the deal Wednesday with McRoberts, a four-year NBA veteran who spent the past three seasons with the Indiana Pacers.

The Duke product averaged career highs of 7.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists while starting 51 games for Indiana last season.

The 6-foot-10 McRoberts could get playing time early with the Lakers, who traded Lamar Odom to Dallas last weekend after the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year got angry about Los Angeles' attempts to deal him for New Orleans point guard Chris Paul.

Andrew Bynum will miss the first five games of the regular season under suspension, and backup forward Derrick Caracter had surgery Wednesday on torn cartilage in his left knee.

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Magic grant trio of teams permission to talk to Howard

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Magic spokesman Joel Glass says the team has granted New Jersey, Dallas and the L.A. Lakers permission to talk to Dwight Howard's agent Dan Fegan to discuss possible trades.

Howard denied an ESPN report on Friday after the Magic's first training camp practice that said he met with Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov and general manager Billy King on Thursday in Miami without the Magic's permission. It followed reports that Howard planned to request a trade to the Nets.

Fegan said in statement that any claims of tampering are false.

Howard is eligible to opt out of his current contract in July 2012.

The Magic practice again Saturday. Former Boston forward Glen Davis is expected to be in attendance after a trade for the Magic's Brandon Bass is finalized.

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NBA rejects Paul-to-Lakers blockbuster trade

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The NBA's decision to reject a proposed trade involving All-Star guard Chris Paul set the stage for an awkward opening to training camps on Friday in New Orleans, Los Angeles and Houston.

The NBA-owned Hornets thought they had worked out a three-team deal to send Paul to Los Angeles in a deal that also would have sent Lamar Odom to New Orleans and four-time All-Star Pau Gasol to Houston.

The league, however, declined to approve the trade, meaning Paul was expected to report to Hornets camp, while Odom and Gasol were expected to show up when the Lakers opened practice under new head coach Mike Brown.

After deal fell through, Paul simply wrote, "WoW," on his Twitter page.

Odom, too, took to Twitter to share his feelings: "When a team trades u and it doesn't go down? Now what?"

The fallout from the trade that never was caused the NBA to deny reports that deal was nixed because a number of team owners complained about it to NBA commissioner David Stern.

"It's not true that the owners killed the deal, the deal was never discussed at the Board of Governors meeting and the league office declined to make the trade for basketball reasons," league spokesman Mike Bass said.

Yahoo Sports reported that Stern killed the trade after several owners complained. Citing anonymous sources, Yahoo reported Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was one of the most outspoken owners upset about the deal, done the same day as the end of the lockout, which was supposed to restore competitive balance in the league.

Owners and players ratified a new collective bargaining agreement Thursday, the final step to ending the five-month lockout and allowing training camps and free agency to open Friday.

There was hope in small markets like New Orleans that after the lockout it would be easier for teams to hold on to their stars. Had the deal had been approved, one of pro basketball's biggest stars from the league-owned, small-market Hornets would have moved to one of the NBA's largest, richest markets.

The Hornets have been owned by the NBA since last December, when the league bought the club from founder George Shinn.

A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press that the framework for a deal had been in place earlier Thursday. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the talks were supposed to remain confidential.

As part of the trade, the Rockets also had agreed to send forward Luis Scola, shooting guard Kevin Martin, point guard Goran Dragic and a first-round draft choice to New Orleans.

Odom, whose marriage to Khloe Kardashian and E! network reality show put him at the center of Hollywood's love affair with the Lakers, sounded devastated to be leaving his adopted hometown in an interview on 710 ESPN radio earlier Thursday. Odom was the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year last season, and has spent all but one season of his NBA career with the Clippers or Lakers.

The NBA's move also quashed an attempt by the Lakers to retool their roster after their back-to-back title reign ended last spring with Dallas' second-round playoff sweep.

There is, however, still the question of Orlando's Dwight Howard.

The Lakers are widely reported to be interested in acquiring the Magic center, another All-Star expected to move before signing a long-term deal. Unlike Paul, Howard has made no secret of his affection for Los Angeles.

If the Hornets are unable to figure out a trade for Paul, he would be able to opt out of his current contract after the upcoming season.

Speaking earlier Thursday, Hornets president Hugh Weber said the franchise has been preparing for months for the possibility that Paul would resist signing an extension in New Orleans, a move that would leave the Hornets with the choice of trading him or simply letting him walk in free agency at the end of the season.

"We've been preparing for this moment for over a year, and it's not like we were surprised or caught flat-footed," Weber said. "This is not a surprise. This is not something where we've been sitting around waiting to see what would happen. We've been managing this and taking control of the situation as best we can and we're going to have a team that we believe achieves that objective of making this community proud."

Paul, 26, averaged 15.8 points and 9.8 assists last season.

Despite the lockout and uncertainty over Paul's future, fan support has been building in New Orleans, where the team has advertised its season-ticket drive as an effort to lure a permanent local buyer who is committed to keeping the team in Louisiana.

The Hornets have increased their season ticket base from a little more than 6,000 last season to 10,019 as of Thursday afternoon.

Paul was drafted by the Hornets fourth overall out of Wake Forest in 2005.

He has been selected to the Western Conference All-Star squad the past four seasons and also was a member of the United States' Olympic gold medal-winning team in Beijing in 2008.

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Lakers' Artest banned one game for striking opponent

(Reuters) - Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest has been suspended for Friday's playoff game against Dallas for striking Mavericks guard Jose Juan Barea in the face, the NBA said Thursday.

The one-game suspension was the result of Artest swinging his arm and hitting Barea late in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's game, the league in a statement.

Artest was ejected after picking up his second technical foul in a game that Dallas won 93-81 to grab a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series.

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Lakers squash Hornets to march on

(Reuters) - Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol exploded for 23 of Los Angeles' 29 points in the third quarter to propel the two-time defending NBA champions to a 98-80 victory over Western Conference rivals the New Orleans Hornets on Thursday, sending them into the next round of the playoffs.

The Lakers were joined in the second round by the Atlanta Hawks, who held off the Orlando Magic 84-81 to clinch their Eastern Conference series 4-2, and the Dallas Mavericks who closed out the Portland Trail Blazers 4-2 with a 103-96 win.

Los Angeles held a slim 40-34 lead following a low scoring first half, but Bryant and Gasol then took over to post a 12-point lead by the start of the fourth quarter, which they built on despite resting most of their starters.

"I think we weathered the storm early. We didn't get off to a great start. But we didn't allow the emotion and the energy in the building to get to us early," Lakers guard Derek Fisher told reporters.

"Even though we didn't play well, we hung right in there. In the third quarter we finally found a little bit of space to get some separation."

Bryant led the Lakers with 24 points in just 30 minutes. Andrew Bynum scored 18 points and pulled down 12 rebounds and Gasol scored 16 points as LA clinched a 4-2 series win.

Hornets' guard Chris Paul was held to just one field goal in the first half and 10 points in total in the game, though he did make 11 assists. Carl Landry led the Hornets with 19 points and Trevor Ariza added 12 points.

"They played well. We just lost to a really, really good team," said Paul. "It's obvious why those guys are the two-time defending champs. Those guys made shots and we missed shots."

MAGIC FALLS SHORT

The visiting Magic trailed by as many as 12 points in the fourth, but went on a 15-6 run over a seven-minute stretch to pull within one point with 34 seconds remaining, only to come up just short.

Jamal Crawford sank two free throws with eight seconds left to push the Hawks lead back up to three points.

In the closing seconds J.J. Redick missed an open three point attempt and Josh Smith blocked another three-point attempt by Orlando as the horn sounded.

In Portland, Dallas overcame a slow start and held off a late charge by the Trail Blazers.

Dallas outscored the Trail Blazers 33-16 in the second quarter to turn an eight point deficit into a nine-point half time lead.

Portland made one last push in the fourth quarter, trimming the lead to one point with 5:24 remaining on a steal and slam dunk by Wallace.

Jason Kidd responded for the Mavericks with a three-point basket to push the lead back to four and send the Mavericks to victory.

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Rose leads Bulls past Pacers as Lakers, Magic win big

(Reuters) - Derrick Rose showed no effects of his injured left ankle as the Chicago Bulls pushed their way past the Indiana Pacers with a 116-89 first round playoff series-ending rout on Tuesday.

Rose, who sprained his ankle on Saturday, sprung back to action with 25 points and the top-seeded Bulls ended put away the Pacers in a 4-1 best-of-seven series victory.

Meanwhile, the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers took a 3-2 series lead after they stung the New Orleans Hornets with a 106-90 victory, while Orlando kept their series alive with a 101-76 blowout of the Atlanta Hawks.

The Bulls will meet the winner of the Hawks and Magic matchup after winning just their second playoff series since 1998.

"I'm speechless right now," Rose told reporters. "I really can't believe it. It's a great accomplishment. I'm happy for my team mates and my coaching staff."

Chicago had battled through four close games with Indiana but ran away in Game Five.

The Bulls grabbed a 30-19 third-quarter advantage that gave them an 84-65 lead heading into the fourth.

Luol Deng finished with 24 points to support Rose and Chicago held the visitors to 39 percent shooting.

Danny Granger led the way with 20 for Indiana.

Despite the loss the Pacers showed some positive signs, reaching their first post-season since 2006 under coach Frank Vogel, who took over mid-season for the fired Jim O'Brien.

Kobe Bryant, also battling an ankle sprain, left little doubt about his health when he slammed down a vicious dunk over Emeka Okafor in the second quarter and finished with 19 points to spark the Lakers.

Bryant was hurt in Sunday's loss to the Hornets but responded well as the Lakers moved one win from advancing to the second round. Game Six is on Thursday in New Orleans.

Trevor Ariza scored 22 points and Chris Paul recorded 20 and 12 assists for the Hornets who were outscored 52-39 in the second half.

Orlando's win was spurred by Jason Richardson's 17 points, in his return from a one-game suspension due to an altercation in Game Three.

Orlando is hoping to become just the ninth team to come from down 3-1 to win a best-of-seven series. Game Six is on Thursday in Atlanta.

All Star center Dwight Howard, who was averaging 32.2 points per game, managed just eight points and eight rebounds while battling foul trouble.

Josh Smith had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Hawks who trailed 58-35 at halftime and never recovered.

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Hawks swoop for late win as big guns boom

(Reuters) - Jamal Crawford banked in a three-pointer with 5.7 seconds left to seal a 88-84 win for the Atlanta Hawks over the visiting Orlando Magic Friday.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers ambushed the New Orleans Hornets 100-86 on the road to join in the Hawks in taking a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven NBA playoff series.

The Boston Celtics mercilessly overpowered the New York Knicks 113-96 to ruin the excitement of the first playoff game at Madison Square Gardens in seven years.

In Atlanta, Crawford scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half including the game-clinching three in the dying seconds of a nip-and-tuck contest.

"I just tried to get to my comfort zone, my sweet spot," Crawford told reporters. "I felt pretty good getting there. "I thought I got a good look, and it just happened to go down for me."

Al Horford gave the Hawks the lead at 85-84 with 46.6 seconds left.

Atlanta led for much of the game, but the lead changed four times over the final two minutes following an altercation which led to the ejection of Atlanta's Zaza Pachulia and Orlando's Jason Richardson.

"I thought we played with much more energy in the second half, and that got us back into it," said Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy. "But this is the playoffs and you can't play 24 minutes of defense."

Joe Johnson scored 21 points for Atlanta and Dwight Howard led the Magic with 21 points and 15 rebounds.

In New Orleans, the Lakers pounced on the Hornets in the opening quarter and pulled away in the final period to regain home-court advantage.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 30 points and Pau Gasol recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Carl Landry led the Hornets with 23 points and Chris Paul 22.

In New York, the Celtics sprinted to a 22-5 lead eight minutes into the game and led comfortably from start to finish to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series.

Boston will attempt to complete the sweep Sunday.

Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 38 points, Ray Allen hit eight three-pointers among his 32 points and Rajon Rondo had a triple-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds and a Celtics franchise playoff record 20 assists.

The Knicks bench outscored the starters led by Shawne Williams 17 points. Carmelo Anthony scored 15 points on just 4-for-16 shooting from the field.

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Lakers and Spurs even series 1-1, Thunder up 2-0

(Reuters) - The Los Angeles Lakers came alive following their disappointing playoff opener to grind out an 87-78 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday and level their best-of-seven series 1-1.

The San Antonio Spurs also tied up their first round series 1-1 with the Memphis Grizzlies while the Oklahoma Thunder went 2-0 up over Denver.

The defending champion Lakers were shocked in their series opening loss on Sunday when New Orleans point guard Chris Paul ran riot, but they returned with a strong defensive effort and now head to New Orleans for Game Three on Friday.

Andrew Bynum led the way with 17 points and 11 rebounds and Lamar Odom added 16 to offset poor performances from Kobe Bryant (11 points) and Pau Gasol (eight).

"I was just trying to be aggressive defensively," Bynum told reporters. "If I play hard defensively, sometimes we get some stops, some good luck and get transition baskets."

Los Angeles established a six-point halftime lead and were up seven after three quarters before stretching their lead to 15 in the fourth where they held off the Hornets.

New Orleans was limited to just 39 percent shooting. Trevor Ariza scored 22 and Paul had 20 for the visitors.

The Spurs, top-seed in the Western Conference, had to once again fight to earn their 93-87 triumph.

They trailed by three points at half-time but were inspired by Argentine shooting guard Manu Ginobli who missed the opening game of the series through injury but returned with 17 points.

But San Antonio kept their cool and George Hill made sure of the win with four points with free throws.

Sam Young top scored for the Grizzlies with 17 points.

The Thunder comfortably took a 2-0 lead in their series against the Denver Nuggets with Kevin Durant scoring 23 points and Russell Westbrook scoring 21 in the 106-89 win.

The Thunder took charge from the outset and had a 26-point lead early in the second quarter as they secured their second win before the series moves to Denver on Saturday for Game Three.

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Lakers' Lamar Odom voted league's best bench player

(Reuters) - Lamar Odom, who became the first Los Angeles Laker to win the NBA award for best player in a reserve role on Tuesday, hopes the recognition will make people think twice before considering him an underachiever.

Odom, who joined the Lakers in 2004 as part of the trade that sent Shaquille O'Neal to the Miami Heat, won the Sixth Man Award after a season where he shot 53 percent from the field, the highest shooting mark of his 12-year career.

"There was a point in my career where people were ready to call me an underachiever, so winning an award like this is kind've right at those people that were ready to call me an underachiever," Odom, the fourth overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft, said at a news conference.

Odom, who came off the bench in 47 games and started 35, averaged 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and three assists per game for the Lakers, who finished second in the Western Conference.

To be eligible for the award, a player must come off the bench as a reserve in more games than he starts.

"At the end of the day I am just a player trying to fill a certain role and the role at this point in my career is to play at a high level all the time and try to change the momentum of the game," said Odom.

The Lakers are trailing their best-of-seven first-round playoff series against the New Orleans Hornets 1-0. The series resumes Wednesday in Los Angeles.

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Lakers rally past Blazers late for 12th win in 13

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Kobe Bryant scored 10 of his 22 points in a dynamic fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied from behind in the final three minutes for their 12th win in 13 games, 84-80 over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night.

Derek Fisher made back-to-back steals to put the Lakers ahead with 1:56 to play before hitting a clinching jumper with 10 seconds left. Bryant did the rest despite his sprained ankle and sore jaw, highlighted by a picture-perfect fallaway jumper with 32 seconds to play.

The Lakers managed a late surge despite playing without starting center Andrew Bynum, who was suspended two games by the NBA on Sunday for his flagrant foul on Minnesota's Michael Beasley two days earlier.

Nicolas Batum scored 22 of his 25 points in the first three quarters for the Blazers, whose three-game winning streak ended with a fourth-quarter flop, scoring just 14 points on 5-for-18 shooting.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 18 points in Bynum's absence down low, while Marcus Camby had 10 rebounds before hobbling off the court with an undisclosed injury in the final minutes. With three straight losses to the Lakers, Portland lost the season series with Los Angeles for the first time since 2004-05.

Although their last two wins haven't exactly been works of art, the Lakers formally clinched a playoff berth earlier Sunday when the Utah Jazz lost to Houston, and this victory wrapped up their fourth consecutive Pacific Division title and 50-victory season.

In Bynum's absence, Portland outrebounded the Lakers 45-35 and nursed a steady lead throughout the second half after making a 15-0 run spanning halftime, holding the Lakers without a field goal for 6 1/2 minutes.

But Bryant's acrobatic layup pulled Los Angeles to 74-72, and Bryant dunked after a steal by Fisher to even it at 76 with 2:20 to play.

Fisher made another steal on the next possession and drove for a layup to put the Lakers ahead. After Bryant's jumper with 1:11 left put the Lakers up by four points, Ron Artest got a technical foul from referee Dan Crawford after exchanging shoves down low with Gerald Wallace.

Lamar Odom had 16 points and 11 rebounds while starting in Bynum's place, and Pau Gasol added 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson was disappointed by the league's decision on a two-game suspension for Bynum, who was ejected after turning his shoulder and sending Beasley crashing to the court during the Lakers' win last Friday. Jackson said he doesn't understand the NBA's logic in its decisions.

Bryant showed no ill effects early from his sprained ankle and a sore jaw resulting from a head-to-head collision with Minnesota's Martell Webster. The All-Star game MVP scored 10 points in the first half, but the Lakers missed Bynum's defensive presence and even his scoring in the first half, getting just eight points apiece from Gasol and Odom.

Portland took its first lead on Aldridge's layup 53 seconds before halftime. Batum went 8 for 10 for 19 points in the first half, hitting a 3-pointer in the final minute to stake the Blazers to a 48-44 lead.

Matt Barnes banked in a 3-pointer from a step inside the half-court line at the third-quarter buzzer, trimming the Blazers' lead to 66-62.

NOTES: Odom has started 33 games for the Lakers this season, while Bynum has started 37. Bynum missed the first 28 games while recovering from offseason knee surgery. ... The Lakers have reached the playoffs in 33 of the last 35 seasons, missing the postseason only in 1993-94 and 2004-05. ... Fans near courtside included Bruce Willis, Will Ferrell, David Arquette and Andy Garcia

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Los Angeles Lakers scored their 10th win in 11 games over Orlando with a 97-84 victory

(AP) Los Angeles, California-  Pau Gasol scored 23 points and Kobe Bryant added 16 while playing on a sprained left ankle as the Los Angeles Lakers scored their 10th win in 11 games over Orlando with a 97-84 victory.

Andrew Bynum had 10 points, a career high-tying 18 rebounds and four blocks as the two-time defending NBA champions opened a seven-game homestand with another impressive post-All-Star effort.

The Lakers (48-20) also drew virtually even with the Dallas Mavericks (47-19) for second place in the Western Conference standings.

Dwight Howard had 22 points, 15 rebounds and nine turnovers – four more than the entire Lakers squad – for the Magic.

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Lakers trounce Warriors to remain unbeaten

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Los Angeles Lakers All-Stars Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol helped the two-time defending NBA champions breeze to a 3-0 start to the season with a one-sided 107-83 victory over the Golden State Warriors Sunday.
Spanish center Gasol paced the team with 26 points and 12 rebounds while Bryant recorded 20 points and seven rebounds in just 27 minutes of work.
"It feels good (to rest down the stretch). That means we're taking care of business," Bryant told reporters. "We're playing well, the pieces we have complement each other and we're just going to keep it rolling."
The Lakers got off to a fast start, outscoring the Warriors 34-14 in the first quarter, and cruised to their 10th straight win against Golden State, who last defeated Los Angeles in March 2008.
Lamar Odom scored 11 of his 16 points in the opening quarter and also chipped in 14 rebounds to continue his strong start after spending the summer helping the United States win a gold medal at the FIBA World Championships.
Monta Ellis scored a team-high 20 points for the Warriors (2-1) who had began the year with two wins but were without sharp-shooting guard Stephen Curry who missed the game with an ankle injury.
Curry averaged 17.5 points per game last season to finish runner-up for the Rookie of the Year Award, but he has been slowed by an ankle ailment since the preseason.
In his absence, Golden State shot just 40 percent from the field and was outrebounded 55-42.
In their quest for a third straight NBA title, the Lakers have leaned on Gasol early in the campaign while Bryant works his way back from offseason knee surgery and center Andrew Bynum sits out after his own knee procedure.
"Probably (this is the best start I've had in my career)," said Gasol, who has led the team in scoring in two of the three games. "I try not to look at numbers. I'm happy with us playing well and we'll try to continue."

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LA Lakers reserves earn tense opening win

shannon brown and steve blake

aaron brooks drives past the defense 

LOS ANGELES | Wed Oct 27, 2010 9:28am EDT
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Los Angeles Lakers were indebted to bench players Shannon Brown and Steve Blake as they launched their NBA championship defense with a nail-biting 112-110 win over the Houston Rockets Tuesday.
Brown knocked in four three-pointers and fellow guard Blake slotted three, the last of them with just 18.8 seconds left on the clock, as the Lakers came from 15 points behind..

5th ring

The lead changed hands four times in the last minute of a gripping contest at the Staples Center before Blake's final shot effectively sealed the win.
Kobe Bryant, although not at his best after having off-season surgery on his right knee, scored 27 points for the Lakers while Spanish forward Pau Gasol added a game-high 29. Brown ended up with 16 points and Blake finished with 10.

kevin martin

Guard Kevin Martin top-scored with 26 points and Aaron Brooks contributed 24, including four of six three-pointers, for the Rockets who led throughout the second and third quarters.
Yao Ming, who missed all of last season because of a fractured bone in his left foot, contributed 11 rebounds and nine points for Houston after playing only 23 minutes.
The evening began on a high note for the Lakers when last season's team and coaching staff were presented with diamond-encrusted gold championship rings.
Veteran forward Ron Artest, who joined the team before last season, then urged the sellout crowd to look upwards as the 2009-10 NBA championship banner was unveiled in the Staples Center rafters, sparking frenzied applause.
EARLY-SEASON RUST

ron artest and pau gasol

With the ceremony over, both teams displayed early-season rust but the Rockets, helped by three three-pointers from Brooks, took advantage of poor Lakers defense to race into a 33-26 lead after the first quarter.
Los Angeles, initially struggling with their outside game, trailed by 15 when Brooks knocked in another three-pointer late in the second period before a Bryant jumper and two free throws trimmed the deficit to 62-51 by half-time.
Gasol and Bryant, finally gelling superbly on offense, sparked a rousing Lakers fightback in the third quarter which ended with guard Blake scoring two three-pointers for Houston's lead to be cut to 82-77.
Two free throws by Matt Barnes off the bench leveled the score at 86-86 early in the fourth period before a Barnes drive for a finger-roll layup put the Lakers ahead for the first time since the opening quarter.
Brown coolly knocked in a three-pointer to give the home team a 91-86 cushion before adding two more in a dizzying 21-second sequence to send the partisan crowd into a frenzy.
Leading 99-91, the Lakers inexplicably lost control at both ends of the court as the Rockets began to claw their way back to set up a thrilling finale.
Houston will visit the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, while the Lakers are next in action against the Suns in Phoenix on Friday.

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