# Regular Season Game 72 Thread: Houston Rockets @ Los Angeles Lakers



## hroz

​*(46-26)/(38-33)*

When/Where:
*Friday, March 30, 10:30 p.m.*
*Staples Center*​












































*Alston / McGrady / Battier / Hayes / Yao*













































*Parker / Bryant / Walton / Odom / Bynum*

*PREVIEW
In March, the Los Angeles Lakers are 5-0 when Kobe Bryant scores more than 40 points, and 0-8 when he doesn't.

Bryant will look for another dominating offensive performance as the Lakers host the Houston Rockets on Friday in a matchup between the league's leading scorer and one of the NBA's best defensive teams.

Bryant led the Lakers (38-33) to a season-high five-game win streak with five consecutive 40-point performances March 16-25, averaging 53.6 points in that stretch.

Both streaks were snapped, though, in Tuesday's 88-86 loss to Memphis. Bryant finished with 23 points on 7-of-26 shooting, and the Lakers shot 34.4 percent from the field.

"It was one of the poorest shooting efforts we've had this season," coach Phil Jackson said. "At some point, I felt like the team was relying on Kobe to do all the scoring, and no one could pick it up once they kind of figured he wasn't going to make shots."

The only time this season the Lakers shot a poorer percentage than they did on Tuesday was their last meeting with Houston, which ranks first in the NBA in field goal percentage defense (42.6 percent) and second in scoring defense (91.0 ppg).

The Rockets (46-26) held Los Angeles to 34.2 percent shooting in their 102-77 win on Jan. 10. Houston held Bryant, who is averaging 30.8 points, to 20 points on 6-of-18 shooting while snapping its four-game losing streak to the Lakers.

This is the second of back-to-back games at Staples Center for the Rockets, who beat the Los Angeles Clippers 92-87 on Wednesday behind Tracy McGrady's 27 points and eight assists.

Yao Ming, who struggled from the field in his previous two contests, added 24 points and 15 rebounds while going 8-of-14 from the field. The Rockets are 10-3 since Yao's return from an injured right knee.

"If we want to play our very best, Tracy and Yao have to play at a high level of efficiency for a lot of minutes," coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "I think that gives us our best chance of winning."

Houston's strong play of late has helped the team clinch a postseason berth after a one-year absence. The Rockets are in fifth place in the West, trailing Utah by 1 1/2 games for the right to open the playoffs at home.

"You want to get the highest seed that you can, obviously, but I've never focused in as much on who's in front of us or who's behind us. That type of thinking always gets you into trouble," Van Gundy said. "We're glad that we qualified, and we're going to try to get better over these next three weeks."

The Lakers are still looking to punch their ticket to the postseason, but their struggles in March -- including a season-high seven-game losing streak -- have put the celebration on hold. Los Angeles is sixth in the West, but has little chance of catching Houston, which is 7 1/2 games ahead of the Lakers.

Including the playoffs, the Rockets are 10-21 against the Lakers since the 2000-01 season. 
*

_*Next Games*_
vs.








vs.








vs.


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## Cornholio

:rant: 

Just remember: if we lose, it's your fault :biggrin:


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## Yao Mania

hehe good job with the game thread hroz. Cornholio can take a break this time 

It's our turn to face off against Kobe. He's had a really crappy game last game so he'll be looking to recover from that. But overall Lakers play little D nowadays and if we step up with our D and his shots on offense, this should be a win for us.


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## hroz

Cornholio

Nobody can make a thread as well as you can  I just thought I would save you sometime this time around. 

Thanks Yao Mania

PS ummm..... its meant to say "Regular Season Game *73* Thread" not 72
ooops Any mods want to fix that for me


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## hroz

PPS really looking forward to this game.
I would love to see how we contain an explosive Kobe.........


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## ztpc_lukui

It's time to bet ,guys !!!!!!!
I Hope the beast(Kobe ) is on bad condition .................and we would get the triumph .


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## jdiggidy

PHP:


Houston's strong play of late has helped the team clinch a postseason berth after a one-year absence. The Rockets are in fifth place in the West, trailing Utah by 1 1/2 games for the right to open the playoffs at home.

Funny how the preview talks about how strong our play has been yet, JVG and Daryl Morel think we haven't been playing very well as of late. Just because we have gutted out a few wins doesn't mean we are playing strong.

I know that winning the next ten games is alot to ask however, I've said it in other threads, I just want this team to start to roll into the playoffs.

Oh yeah, I hate LA so I hope we crush them tonight!:cheers:


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## HayesFan

cornholio said:


> :rant:
> 
> Just remember: if we lose, it's your fault :biggrin:


Cornholio.. did you keep track of your thread making record this year? Are you in the playoffs?


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## Dean the Master

Bets on!

Keep it going Rockets!


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## Krimzon

Kobe is not going to drop 40+ in this game. If he does...:mad2: . We should be able to win this one with good defense and offense.


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## HayesFan

well lets see.. Kobe has had 20, 53, and 23 against us this year. I just hope we keep him off the free throw line.


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## houst-mac

I'd love to see T-Mac guarding Kobe tonight, Mac has really played good defense lately and it would be great to see them trading baskets all night.


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## Prolific Scorer

I betted on Los Angeles....McGrady hasn't really had a good winning % against LA since he's been a starter in this league, and neither has Houston. I think the key to Houston winning this game, is McGrady attacking the basket of course. I guess McGrady likes to dominate the 1st and 3rd Qtrs this season, so if Yao can try to find a way to be dominate those other two quaters, I think Houston could win.


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## Cornholio

HayesFan said:


> Cornholio.. did you keep track of your thread making record this year? Are you in the playoffs?


:biggrin: At least my record this season is better than last, I think.


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## PriceIsWright

Chalk up a W


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## hroz

Yao has played well against the Lakers this season so I would love to see more of the same.
Yao I think is the big threat for the Lakers with their top two centres out.


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## hroz

Damn the Pacers/Magic game went on for way too long

Missed most of the 1st Q


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## hroz

Nice pass Rafer
Well well worked


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## CbobbyB

Britney Spears sighting


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## hroz

Where is everyone its on ESPN for god sakes?

Just enjoying the game looking for stars etc?
Kobe is on fire that and1 alittle while back was amazing.


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## Krimzon

Rockets field goal percentage: .143
Not good at all. Kobe with 23 points is making things worst. At least Yao and T-Mac have double digit points.


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## Krimzon

53-48 Rockets. Not bad. Kobe has 25 points. The second half will be a tough one.


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## hroz

Nyone realise nobody has got a FT for the Rockets except TMAC & Yao?


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## hroz

Also Ft shooting by Yao and TMAc combined is 22-23?

Yao is 12-13
TMAC is 10-10

If it wasnt for the FTs though we would be in alot of trouble.
Lakers big men in alittle foul trouble.


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## Krimzon

If the Lakers big men gets four or five personal fouls, we have a good chance of winning this.


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## Krimzon

55-55. Three fouls already.


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## Pimped Out

can hayes dunk?


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## Krimzon

I think he can, but I've never seen him dunk.


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## Krimzon

75-67 Rockets. Not bad so far. The Rockets are beginning to get things done right.


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## hroz

Im sure Hayes can dunk but I dont think its a good percentage play for him.


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## Pimped Out

hayes had a wide open lay up earlier in the game and he got the ball up to about level with the rim and dropped it in. he has got to be the only PF in the league that cant dunk in a game, esp. now that weatherspoon is out of the league


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## Krimzon

Maybe Hayes will surprise us in the post season with an awesome dunk.


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## Pimped Out

toss if off the backboard to himself for a 360 windmill


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## hroz

Worrying we havent closed this game yet


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## hroz

Note nobody but TMAC & Yao have has any FTs


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## hroz

Damn Kwame


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## hroz

Thank god Rafer hits the 3


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## hroz

Damn It How Did Kobe Do That?????????


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## Krimzon

Kobe has 40! :mad2:


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## Krimzon

When Kobe got his first points in the 4th, it brought his shooting touch back. We need to win this game.


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## hroz

Daqmn it 1 point game 15 to go Rafer please hit ur Fts


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## Krimzon

Thank you Rafer for getting those in.


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## hroz

We cant let them hit a 3. Hope this is the last play.


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## CbobbyB

damn


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## hroz

Cant believe he hit that.................


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## Krimzon

:rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant:


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## hroz

OT

Bad shot by TMAC
Didnt even know where the bucket was I think.


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## Krimzon

Overtime! No!!!


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## Krimzon

You bet the Lakers are going to give the ball to Kobe. He's going to get at least 50 in this. I hope we can win this even though he may reach 50+.


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## hroz

Yao & TMAC must play all 5 mins


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## hroz

DAMN IT Got to stop Kobe


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## hroz

What is going on???????????


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## Dream Hakeem

we win


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## Dream Hakeem

Come on TMAC drop 13 in 51!


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## Krimzon

T-Mac must get these in.


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## Pimped Out

we need to stop kobe on this possession. this will be huge


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## hroz

Damn we need a stop


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## Krimzon

We got the lead but it's not over yet.


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## ztpc_lukui

ogh ,god !105:104


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## Pimped Out

OHHHHHH! KOBE WALKED!!!

w00t


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## Pimped Out

im also happy it was a legit travel call, instead of a BS one


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## ztpc_lukui

Kobe Travelled~~~~~~~~


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## CbobbyB

yay


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## Pimped Out

wow. i cant believe we pulled that one out. what a great game


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## Dream Hakeem

Pimped Out said:


> im also happy it was a legit travel call, instead of a BS one


yep


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## OneBadLT123

Jesus, what a game... Rafer came up clutch with his FT's...


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## ztpc_lukui

Cheer up!GUYS!


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## Krimzon

What a game.


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## AZNoob

With this win, where does it put us with the Jazz? Are we tied with them now? They just lost to the spurs...


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## hroz

Thank god for that
I was terrified of losing


EVen better whoever wins vs Jazz gets 4th


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## hroz

We are .5 games behind the Jazz.


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## hroz

Kobe is MVP

I dont care who else is in the contest Kobe is MVP.

Dirk had a great game Nash has been amazing but Kobe is single handedly pulling the Lakers into the playoffs. And nobody has played anything like Kobe


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## OneBadLT123

hey what happened to Luther Head? He isnt showing up on the Yahoo boxscore...


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## @[email protected]

what a game!


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## hroz

Luther ddint get any minutes as far as i know.

I might have missed him but I think SNyder took his minutes?

Dont know if he is injured


But 99% sure he did not get any minutes.


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## Khm3r

hroz said:


> Luther ddint get any minutes as far as i know.
> 
> I might have missed him but I think SNyder took his minutes?
> 
> Dont know if he is injured
> 
> 
> But 99% sure he did not get any minutes.


shoulder injury


I was on the edge of my seat the whole 4th and OT! What a game! And I'll be at SUNDAYS game against UTAH!


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## Hakeem

Battier's team defense is what makes him great on that end. But his man D this game was fantastic.

Hayes has got to be on the floor whenever Yao is on. Howard really doesn't fit well.

T-Mac has the raw passing ability to be one of the greatest passing perimeter players ever. But his decision-making stops him. Those impulsive jumpers that are off balance and/or with a guy in his face with 16 on the shot clock need to stop. And he has to cut down on some of those bullet passes in traffic. 

Yao has to get to the point where he can be trusted with the ball repeatedly in the fourth. Right now it's a bit of a worry whenever he gets it a few feet outside of the paint. Too often he ends up going to the middle and doing that awkward, slow-motion fadeaway, which usually misses. This wasn't as much of a problem earlier in the season. But I don't know how it's related to his injury.


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## hroz

How bad is Luther's injury.

Strange we expect Hayes & Mutombo to miss the game instead Head misses it.


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## hroz

Ps double doubles for Yao and TMAC.


PS alittle worried by TMAC's shooting.


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## hroz

cornholio said:


> :rant:
> 
> Just remember: if we lose, it's your fault :biggrin:


So we didnt lose,

Though most of us are in the hospital with a coronary after watching that game.


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## kisstherim

looks like an awesome game from the boxscore, too bad I missed it


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## Yao Mania

So glad we pulled this one off... Yao with 39pts and 4blks, boo yah!

Kobe with 53, but took him 44 shots to do it and took his teammates out of the game, so we can give that to him any day.

Juwan with the 2nd straight 0-for game, what's up with that??

Chuck Hayes is vital to our team, I can not stress that enough.


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## ztpc_lukui

hroz said:


> So we didnt lose,
> 
> Though most of us are in the hospital with a coronary after watching that game.


My heart was just blowing out. It's lucky to win the match .

And I winned the bet as someone .......HOHOHOHO


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## Basel

Congrats on the win tonight, guys. Great game...crazy finish.


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## Cornholio

Hakeem said:


> Hayes has got to be on the floor whenever Yao is on. Howard really doesn't fit well.


Howard was playing like crap. The only good thing he did was that pass to Yao in OT.


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## Legend-Like

Man that was a pumped up game. Utah loss, we won but I thought we were about to lose that game.


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## AllEyezonTX

after having some time to sleep on that one, I'm happy we got the win & put on a great show for the ESPN wigs & NBA fans! 

Kobe Bryant re-entered the Curtis Jackson Zone on Friday night, cracking 50 again when he gave the Rockets 53 points, albeit in an overtime loss. The Lakers were down by 12 with four minutes to go in regulation when Kobe took over. He scored 17 in that final stretch!

*Juwan Howard dimed Yao (39 pts, 11 rebs) on the go-ahead layup with 23 ticks left in overtime*, and on L.A.’s next possession, Kobe inexplicably traveled coming across midcourt. Of course he reacted in disbelief, but the replay showed he switch pivot feet on a jump-stop. Really, it was more obvious than Jeff Green’s walk to set up the G’Town/Vandy game-winner last week.

T-Mac (30 pts, 10 asts) hasn’t delivered too many facials this year, but he got a vintage one in the second half when he blew past Kobe to his left and crowned Kwame despite the big man hugging him in mid-air.


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## Cornholio

AllEyezonTX said:


> T-Mac (30 pts, 10 asts) hasn’t delivered too many facials this year, but he got a vintage one in the second half when he blew past Kobe to his left and crowned Kwame despite the big man hugging him in mid-air.


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## Pimped Out

^that pic really doesnt do it justice


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## Minstrel

T-Mac's shooting and Yao's turnovers are the two main things I worry about.

If they could get those two things under control, Houston could be a playoff monster.


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## HayesFan

hroz said:


> How bad is Luther's injury.
> 
> Strange we expect Hayes & Mutombo to miss the game instead Head misses it.


They didn't say, just that it was a shoulder injury from the previous game.


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## Pimped Out

hayesfan, do you remember hayes ever dunking?


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## HayesFan

Yao Mania said:



> Chuck Hayes is vital to our team, I can not stress that enough.


Did you hear the story from the game? 

They say that in December when Yao went down and Chuck was moved from the starting line up JVG put a note in Chuck's locker that said do you appreciate who you are. Then it showed that he was the only undrafted player of 12 in the NBA from the d-league that was starting. 

Every single time they talk to Chuck he's just so glad to be there.. I hope that he keeps that hunger because that's what makes him part of this core group.


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## HayesFan

Pimped Out said:


> hayesfan, do you remember hayes ever dunking?


He's dunked exactly twice this season... One on a put back and one on a fast break.

I don't think he dunked last year.


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