"There were jumpers from a step inside the 3-point arc, and at least a step or two beyond. But while the Lakers and Rockets fired away from the perimeter, there was a marked difference.

The Lakers took two kinds of shots the Rockets could not. They took wide-open shots, set up by the strength inside and the attention it commanded. And they took Kobe Bryant shots, seemingly made more unstoppable when the game reached its closing minutes.

The Rockets could give chase through the night, but down the stretch, when Bryant began posting up for turnaround jumpers and cutting to open spots on the floor, the Rockets had no answer and the Lakers pulled away for a 108-99 win Tuesday at Staples Center.

"They're going to be physical, be in the paint," Rockets point guard Kyle Lowry said. "We have to go out there and be faster than that. They have Kobe Bryant. Tough looks, easy looks, he's going to make some shots. The inside presence definitely gives them an advantage.""