Kobe Bryant? scored 43 points to tie a franchise record for
40-point games in a season and keyed a decisive third-quarter burst
as the Lakers posted a 104-88 victory over the Houston Rockets.
Lamar Odom netted 21 points and Smush Parker added 15 and 10
assists for Los Angeles, who entered Sunday holding the seventh
spot in the Western Conference postseason race, 1 1/2 games ahead
of eighth-place Sacramento (37-36) and just 2 1/2 behind
sixth-place Memphis (41-32).
Yao finished with 33 points and 16 rebounds for the Rockets in
defeat.