May 13th, 2009 
Stephen Rhodes 
Posted in 
There’s a simple phrase that has rang true throughout the Los Angeles Lakers: payback’s a mother. Sunday saw the Houston Rockets embarrass Los Angeles and you can rest assured the Lakers did not forget. What 18,997 people at Staples Center witnessed was reminiscent of The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain – it was that bad. To wit, the Lakers outplayed the Rockets in every conceivable way, especially on the stat sheet; when the smoke cleared, it found Los Angeles on the winning end, completely laying waste to Houston 118-78 on Tuesday.
The Lakers took control quite early in the first quarter as they outscored the Rockets 23-6 during the first six minutes of the period; Kobe Bryant scored 8 points, Lamar Odom drained a 3-pointer while Jordan Farmar also made a trey, helping Los Angeles take a 35-24 lead into the second quarter.
The Lakers didn’t lose their shooting touch although they rested Bryant early in the quarter, as they went on a quick 8-0 run to push their advantage to 43-24. With Houston remaining cold, Los Angles piled it on as they took a sizable 64-39 lead at halftime. As you have probably guessed already guessed, the Lakers coasted for the remaining 24 minutes.
Los Angeles had seven players in double-digits, led by Bryant with 26 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block while Pau Gasol added 16 with 13 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and 3 blocks; Andrew Bynum chipped in 14 with 6 rebounds.
Houston was led by Aaron Brooks with 14 points, a rebound and 2 assists while Von Wafer, from off the bench added 13 with 2 assists; Luis Scola contributed 12 with 13 rebounds and 4 assists. Los Angeles looks to close out the series when they face Houston in Game 6 on Thursday night from Toyota Center.
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