Lakers schooled by Rockets 104-92

The Houston Rockets beat the Lakers 104-92 yesterday, to add to their incredible 22 game winning streak. They got off to a fast start leading by 15 at half time, and withstood a fierce run by the Lakers in the third, they closed out the game by hitting all of the big shots in the fourth quarter. The Rockets out-played, out-hustled, and out-willed the Lakers all day long. The game started off with Rafer Alston putting up 16 big ones in the first quarter. I knew we had some issues with stopping penetration, but after watching Alston and Bobby Jackson combine for 50 points against the Lakers, this is something we may have to address. It's not just penetration; our defense at the one position needs to improve. What was most disconcerting was that Alston and Jackson were hot, but they got every look they wanted. This negated a tremendous defensive effort by Kobe Bryant on Tracy McGrady, as Kobe held him to 4-16 shooting and T-Mac didn't score his first field goal until midway through the third quarter. The way the Rockets were playing defense, they didn't need McGrady scoring, because Alston and Jackson were not forcing it, just stepping back and popping it and dropping it.