"You know if somebody hits me, I'm going to react," the famously temperamental Artest said. "I got hit with about three elbows. It's just not fair. I don't want to fight, I don't feel like doing it. If you throw an elbow into Ron Artest's chest, do you know who you're hitting?

"But I give up, I just give up," he said. "I'm not fighting anymore. You could elbow me, smack me, use me as a punching bag. I'm not reacting anymore, I'm tired."

Bryant sank four of his first six shots, but the rest of the Lakers missed eight of their first nine and Houston built an 18-10 lead.

Ariza continued to struggle, missing six of his first eight shots, but Landry went 6 for 6 from the field in the second quarter and Houston led 48-44 at the break.

Bryant scored 17 points in the first half, but missed five of his next eight shots after the hot start.

NOTES: Injured Lakers C Pau Gasol could return to practice as early as Thursday after sitting out the first five games with a strained right hamstring. "We'll have a limited practice as it is, with back-to-back games," Jackson said. "There won't be a whole lot of activity, but he should be out there." ... Rockets rookie F Chase Budinger sat out with a sprained left ankle. Budinger scored 17 points in Houston's 113-96 win at Utah on Monday. ... Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon had a courtside seat next to team owner Leslie Alexander.