"Once you give a team easy opportunities, your confidence gets higher, the basket gets bigger, the 3-point shots fall a little bit more easily," Bryant said. "We got to do a better job stopping them from getting easy points."

Andersen scored 13 points in the second, when the Rockets tied the game twice and took a two-point lead before trailing 54-52 at the break.

Bryant and Artest carried the Lakers to an 18-6 lead before Brooks' and Budinger's shooting rallied the Rockets within six points after the first quarter.

"They got out in transition, got some easy buckets and we turned the ball over," Brooks said. "It reminded me of Game 7, when they got off to a big lead and just sustained it and grew on it the whole time. So tonight we made big steps."

Notes

Lakers coach Phil Jackson said C Pau Gasol, who has missed 10 games with a strained right hamstring, has gone five days without reporting soreness. Gasol did some light shooting Sunday before his usual rehab work. ... The Lakers showed Ariza's career highlights with them on the video board, which read, "Thank you Trevor." Ariza carried his young son on court to receive his ring, with Bryant grabbing his head and pulling it close to whisper. "He's like my brother, always will be," Bryant said later.