Rockets lambaste Lakers

May 11, 2009 - Written by Glen

Despite their lack of Yao Ming, the Houston Rockets trounced the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 to even the score at 2-2 for the series. Houston stayed ahead the Lakers the entire way through, out scoring them in every quarter but the last. The Lakers had mounted a small come back in the fourth quarter which proved futile.

Aaron Brooks broke a personal record by scoring a career-high 34 points during Game 4. Shane Battier made an astonishing five 3-point shots, making up 15 of the 23 points he had scored that game. Teamwork pulled Houston through the game. Luis Scola had a paltry 11 points but 14 rebounds, propping up the team and their combined effort to pull forth to victory. Relative rookie Brooks credited his teammates for his incredulous performance.

"I'm lucky to have these guys," he claimed. "It makes it a lot easier on me."

Kobe Bryant scored a meager 15 points the entire game. The first three baskets the Lakers had made were amongst Kobe's 15. The Lakers seemingly expected a walk through the park with a Ming-less Houston, but this was clearly not the case. Turnovers that could have been prevented haunted the Lakers early game, leading to a slippery slope on which they had to play.

Lamar Odom took a hard spill in the third quarter, leading to a trip to the bench. Odom retired to the locker room with back spasms. He did not return to the game. Odom will have tests on Monday and will not be attending practice.

Notable mention goes to Ron Artest. Despite having only made 8 points, Artest walked with 6 assists and 10 rebounds