"The saga of the wrist continued Tuesday night at Staples Center.

Kobe Bryant removed the protective sleeve on his right arm, revealing a heavy tape job on his damaged wrist, and then he went out and almost made as many shots as he missed while leading the Lakers to a 108-99 victory over the Houston Rockets.

Bryant scored a season-high 37 points, including 22 in the second half, and also grabbed eight rebounds and added sixassists in 36 minutes, 51 seconds. He made 14 of 29 shots, including 9 of 15 after halftime.

Lakers Nation breathed an enormous sigh of relief.

"I'm always trying to prove a point," Bryant said after scoring nine points on 4-for-8 shooting in the final 6 minutes, 41seconds, when the Lakers pulled away from the undersized Rockets. "That's why I have five championships." "