Kobe Bryant leads Lakers to victory
May 7, 2009 by Bumeral sports news
Filed under Basketball
NBA Playoffs Lakers vs Rockets
LOS ANGELES, United States, May 7, 2009 .- Another party full of rudeness among the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets were dyed with blood.
However, this time, the Lakers defended their local condition.
Kobe Bryant scored 40 points, Pau Gasol added 22 units and 14 rebounds and the Lakers won the second match of the series, to the best of seven, by 111-98 on Wednesday night to tie the series of Western Conference semifinals to a side victory.
Ron Artest, one of two players ejected in the game, scored 25 points and Carl Landry added 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, who rose a handicap of 14 points in the first time just to be at a disadvantage most of the second time.
Argentine Luis Scola played 23:32 minutes for the Rockets with 12 points and contributed four rebounds and recovered.
The third game of the series will be played Friday night in Houston.
The spirits burned in the second half, after Derek Fisher, the Lakers, and Artest were expelled and four were marked split between technical faults Bryant, Artest, Scola, Luke Walton and Lamar Odom, who had 11 rebounds.
“It’s the postseason. This is what it is,” said Bryant.
Artest was ejected by referee Joe Crawford when 6:57 minutes remaining in the match after he said the other side of the stadium to Bryant and made a gesture near his throat. Artest complained that he received a poke in the throat from Bryant underneath the board.
“We’re playing basketball, there are a lot of contact. If you are going to play physically, you also have to wait a physical game against you,” said Bryant.
The last half minute of the third period turned into a festival of faults. Scola and his colleagues Odom and Walton were technical faults after facing the Lakes players across the field.
Minutes later, Fisher was a marked lack clear when Scola hit while with the Rockets moved the ball on the court.
Scola and fell to stave Fisher suffered a cut on the head near the right ear. Scola scored two free throws, and Houston kept the ball.
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