Rockets Grind Out Win Against Lakers

The Rockets knew coming into Monday's game against the Lakers that if they were going to have a chance, they needed to force the Lakers into a physical, grind-it-out style of game. As it happens, all that physical play almost worked against them: Shane Battier required four stitches after a bloody gash over his left eye opened in the first quarter, and Yao Ming saw his season flash before his eyes after knocking knees late in the fourth, eventually needing assistance off the court.

Yao headed in the direction of the locker room but never quite made it, instead winning an argument with a team trainer in the tunnel to come back out and finish the game. In a way, that was a microcosm for the entire night: the Rockets took L.A.'s best hit, were stunned to the point that everyone watching wondered whether they'd survive but then rallied with a strong finish. In the end, the Rockets won 100-92, negating L.A.'s formidable home court advantage.

Rockets 100, Lakers 92: Recap | Box Score
Rockets Lead 1-0 | Next Game: Wednesday @ Los Angeles, 10:30 PM ET

Kobe Bryant struggled for much of the night, entering halftime with just eight points on 4-12 shooting. He eventually salvaged his night with 32 points but needed 31 shots and went 1-7 from beyond the arc. If he's looking for an excuse, he can take his pick: he entered the game with a week's worth of rust, a sore throat that forced him to miss practice and a two-headed defensive monster of Shane Battier and Ron Artest hassling him at every turn.

Battier and Artest aren't going anywhere, of course, but those other excuses likely won't exist come Wednesday. Not only that, but the last time Bryant suffered through an off night he bounced back with 38 points on 66% shooting the next game, so Houston should probably brace itself for an outburst.

If the Lakers are going to slow down Yao, though, they'll need more out of Andrew Bynum, who was limited to just 15 minutes due to foul trouble. Without Bynum around to slow him down, Yao scored 28 points (9-17 shooting) with 10 boards.

There's at least a small danger that Yao's knee may prove to be more seriously injury than initially thought (swelling usually occurs after a player cools down), but given Yao's jovial disposition in post-game interviews on the court and in the press conference room, he certainly didn't appear to be hiding much pain. Assuming he dodged a bullet and remains at full strength, there's no reason to think he won't continue being an immovable force in the paint -- at least until the Lakers are able to keep their 7-foot, 285-pound center on the floor for any length of time.

It's far too early to count the Lakers out -- it's not like many people were expecting a sweep, and in the big picture, losing the first game of the series isn't necessarily worse than losing the second or third -- but the way Houston forced L.A. to play their style of game is a sign that this series may be a lot closer than many anticipated.

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