Sparked by Kobe Bryant assuming the role of distributor, the Lakers kept pace with the high-flying Houston Rockets, as they railed by just three at halftime.
Bryant handed out seven assists in the first quarter alone — one of which pushed him past Jerry West for the second-most in franchise history. He sat out the second quarter but could not get the offense flowing again in the third, as Houston rolled past Los Angeles for a 112-95 victory.
L.A. (9-34) shot 73.7 percent in the first quarter and maintained solid production in the second. But the Rockets (22-20) blitzed them for nine unanswered points to open the third.