This was a night of elbows and cheap shots and hard words and tension. One team attempted to impose its will, the other refused to back down.

In the end, the Lakers got what they wanted out of it. That is, they won Game 2, 111-98, Wednesday night.

As for the Rockets , they got nothing out of it. They took punch after punch and kept coming back. Again and again.

They showed toughness and resolve and plenty of everything else. If they'd only kept their poise.

They lost it so badly that questions will follow them back to Toyota Center for Games 3 and 4.

First, Rockets coach Rick Adelman kicked Von Wafer off the bench after the two exchanged words in the fourth quarter. Wafer was escorted to the locker room by Rockets president Tad Brown. Stay tuned for more.

The Lakers probably were going to win anyway, but the Rockets made it easy by coming undone. They thought 18 turnovers in Game 1 was bad. They had 20 in Game 2.

Losing poise again

Then Artest confronted Kobe and left despite scoring 25 points in 33 minutes. He was the best thing the Rockets had going offensively, but his lack of poise helped take the Rockets out of it.

Kobe did what Kobe does. He had 40 points and probably could have scored 60 if he'd stayed interested.

The Rockets were never quite out of it until midway through the fourth quarter, but when the Lakers needed a basket, they got it from Bryant.

Yao Ming was the other factor. Lakers coach Phil Jackson benched Andrew Bynum in favor of Lamar Odom, creating a tough matchup for the Rockets .

Yao was forced to guard Pau Gasol, who is quicker and more of a perimeter player. Sure enough, Yao picked up two quick fouls in the first quarter, got a third in the second and didn't become a factor until the game had been decided. His 12 points were irrelevant. If he can't stay on the floor, the Rockets can't win.

The Lakers came out with an amazing burst and led by 14 at the end of the quarter. The Rockets made a great run behind their second unit and were in a tie by halftime.

They couldn't maintain it, and the Lakers got them with their speed and depth and big shots.

The Rockets entered this series knowing they couldn't win if the Lakers played well. The Lakers missed an array of open shots in Game 1. They were terrific in Game 2, getting 22 from Gasol and points from four different reserves.

Carl Landry helped keep the Rockets in it with 21 points in 23 minutes, but Luis Scola was just 5-of-14 and lost his poise at one point.

Now about Landry. Given the horrifying nature of the shooting incident, it's no surprise Landry's game has suffered.

Try to put yourself in his shoes that morning as he was running, pleading, wondering if this is how his life is going to end.

His physical wounds could be measured, but there may be no way of knowing the mental damage.

"No, I'm fine," he said. "I believe everything happens for a reason. I've moved on."

Regardless, until Wednesday, he hadn't been nearly the same player he was before. Some of it may have to do with muscle loss in his left leg because he hasn't been as quick or as energetic since returning.

Not all the way back

He has had flashes when he has looked as good as ever, but overall, he just hasn't been the same player. His numbers reflect this decline.

"He's a little bit inconsistent right now,'" Adelman said before the game. "I don't think he's playing with the same confidence he was before the incident. He's got to keep fighting through that. It kind of reminds me of last year when he had his knee injury. He came back and really struggled for a long time."

At his best, he's one of the NBA's best offensive rebounders. During his rookie season, he was one of the 10 or 12 best first-year offensive rebounders ever.

His production kept the Rockets in shouting distance of the Lakers on Wednesday. They didn't get enough from others.

richard.justice@chron.com