Rockets 100

Lakers 92

GAME 2

Rockets 98

Lakers 111

GAME 3

Lakers 108

Rockets 94

GAME 4

Lakers 87

Rockets 99

GAME 5

Rockets 78

Lakers 118

GAME 6

Rockets 95

- SERIES TIED 3-3 -

Lakers 80

GAME 7

Sunday

at L.A., 2:30 p.m.

TV/radio: ABC; 610 AM, 850 AM (Spanish)

SCOREBOARD

Game 6 Magic 83, Celtics 75 Series tied 3-3

GAME 7 STORIES

The Rockets have played eight Game 7s in their history, with No. 9 to come on Sunday at Los Angeles. They are 5-3 but have lost the last two:

1981: Beat Spurs 105-100 in Western semis.

1993: Lost to Sonics 103-100 (OT) in Western semis.

1994: Beat Suns 104-94 in Western semis.

1994: Beat Knicks 90-84 in NBA Finals.

1995: Beat Suns 115-114 in Western semis.

1997: Beat Sonics 96-91 in Western semis.

2005: Lost to Mavericks 116-76 in first round.

2007: Lost to Jazz 103-99 in first round.

The Lakers had spent a couple days offering praise, genuine if a bit patronizing. They tousled the Rockets' hair, admired their spunk and came to town to expel them from the NBA playoffs on their presumed way to bigger and better things.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson even allowed a pregame chat about the Nuggets, waiting in the Western Conference finals.

The Rockets , however, refused again to get out of the way, whipping the Lakers early Thursday night and pulling away late. They rebounded from their worst-ever playoff loss with perhaps their greatest win since the championship era, stunning the Lakers again with a 95-80 victory at Toyota Center and sending the series to a seventh game Sunday in Los Angeles.

"Maaaaan, you cannot count us out," Rockets center Chuck Hayes said. "We're surprising a lot of people. A lot of people had us written off. If you do that, you really haven't been watching Basketball the past month. When people least expect it, somehow we get the job done."

They did it not with the Lakers failing to compete - as appeared to be the case Sunday, the day after Yao Ming was lost for the season - but with Los Angeles playing to put the Rockets away.

The Lakers had won four consecutive close-out games and 15 of their previous 17. But against a team that had led at some point in 194 consecutive regular-season and playoff games, the Rockets led from start to finish for the second time in the series' last three games.

"The last two days, all I heard was we weren't going back to L.A.," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "I just can't give our guys enough credit. After the game the other night, I knew we were going to play with intensity and lay it all out there.

"This team is a special team, special guys. I knew they were going to play hard. We were going to defend better. The way they listened and the way they went about the game plan and the way they executed, they've grown. And they just keep growing. This team has so much heart. And they don't care what people think. When Yao went down, they haven't blinked an eye. We're just playing to see how far we can take it."

No let-up from Brooks

As in Sunday's triumph, the Rockets were led by Aaron Brooks, who made eight of 13 shots to score 26 points, including eight when the Rockets pulled away late in the third and early in the fourth quarter.

Kobe Bryant had 32 points for L.A. but made just 11 of 27 shots going against Shane Battier, who was ill but had Chuck Hayes repeatedly stepping out to help on screens.

The Rockets hit the Lakers early, roaring to a 21-3 start. Los Angeles needed six minutes to hit its first field goal.

When all but the last two points of that 18-point lead were gone at 54-52, the Rockets rallied again, pushing the lead to nine heading to the fourth quarter and 11 with 4? minutes left.

"We got back to what we were doing the whole game," guard Kyle Lowry said. "Once we start playing our Basketball and moving the Basketball, we're a good team."

Luis Scola, who matched his career playoff high with 24 points and had 12 rebounds, drove the offense early, scoring 14 first-quarter points. Carl Landry, who scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half and had nine rebounds, came on late, giving the Rockets just the push they needed to finish off the win.

Landry threw down a powerful slam through a Lamar Odom foul for a 10-point lead midway through the fourth quarter and hit a tough jumper to give the Rockets an 84-73 lead with 4:42 remaining.

The Rockets never had a moment of trouble again. After consecutive Bryant jumpers, Brooks twice knocked down pull-ups, while Bryant airballed a 3-pointer and had a drive swatted away by Landry. From there, the Rockets made eight of 10 free throws to end any lingering doubt.

"I'm not (worried)," Jackson said. "We are just going to go out and play, and it's our home court, and it's what we play for."

Heart on display

The Rockets , however, believe they have proved enough to no longer be doubted.

"We might not have the most talented team," Battier said, "but there is not a team with more heart in this entire league. We've shown it again and again and again and again."

They need to show it only one more time to move on. And they have done enough for Adelman to make a proclamation.

"In a seventh game," he said, "anything can happen."

jonathan.feigen@chron.com