Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Greg Smith scored 17 of his career-high 21
points in the second half to help spark a furious late comeback that
catapulted the Houston Rockets to a 107-105 win over the slumping Los Angeles
Lakers at Toyota Center.
Smith went 7-of-8 from the field and pulled down nine rebounds as well, while
fellow reserve Toney Douglas dropped in a season-best 22 points to help the
Rockets post their fifth victory in six games despite an off-shooting night
from James Harden and trailing by 13 points with under 9 1/2 minutes left.
Harden finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, but made just 3-of-19 field
goal attempts. His slump was offset by a huge effort from the Houston bench,
with Carlos Delfino adding 15 points in addition to Smith and Douglas' big
games to rally the Rockets to their sixth consecutive home triumph.
Playing without injured stars Pau Gasol and Steve Nash, the Lakers received 39
points from Kobe Bryant and a 16-point, 12-rebound performance from Dwight
Howard. However. Los Angeles failed to hold onto a 17-point lead late in the
third quarter and lost for the third time in its last four outings.
GAME NOTES:
The Sports Network