ROTATION: Starters -- Point guard Aaron Brooks, Shooting guard Ron Artest, Small forward Shane Battier, Power forward Luis Scola, Center Chuck Hayes. Bench -- Guard Kyle Lowry, Guard Von Wafer, Forward Carl Landry.
PLAYER NOTES: --G Aaron Brooks scored a career-high 34 points on 12-of-20 shooting, scoring 17 points in the third quarter to help open a 29-point lead.
--F Shane Battier scored 12 first-quarter points to get the Rockets off to a fast start and finished with 23 points on 6-of-12 shooting, while helping to limit Kobe Bryant to 7-of-17 shooting and 15 points.
--G Ron Artest' streak of 20-point games ended at four games with a 4-of-19 shooting night, but he had 10 rebounds and a team-high six assists.
MEDICAL WATCH:
--C Yao Ming (hairline fracture, left foot) is out.
--G Tracy McGrady (microfracture surgery, left knee) is out.
--C Dikembe Mutombo (rupture left knee tendon) is out.
