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Houston opened the game with a 17-1 burst, electrifying another red-clad capacity crowd at the Toyota Center.
Bryant made the Lakers' first field goal near the 6-minute mark, but Scola put in another short jumper to make it 19-3 -- one point better than Houston's opening run in Game 4.
Artest got a nice pass from Chuck Hayes and muscled inside for a layup to make it 21-3. The Lakers missed 14 of 20 shots in the quarter and trailed 27-15.
Shane Battier and Artest sank 3-pointers early in the second quarter, another good sign for Houston. The Rockets made 10 3-pointers in their Game 4 victory, but only five in Game 5.
Von Wafer, averaging only 6.6 points in the series, sank a 3 with 5:51 left in the half to put Houston ahead 42-25 and force Lakers coach Phil Jackson to use a timeout.
But Houston stayed in control and Bryant's frustration boiled over near the 2-minute mark.
With Artest blanketing him near midcourt, Bryant appeared to shove Artest and earned a technical foul. The temperamental Artest, ejected from Games 2 and 3, ran away to avoid a confrontation and Brooks sank the free throw for a 47-31 Houston lead.
Notes: The Rockets have won 11 of their last 12 home games. ... The team winning after the first quarter has won all 12 of Houston's postseason games. ... Artest missed Thursday morning's shootaround with an illness, but Houston coach Rick Adelman said an hour before the game that Artest felt fine. ... The Lakers are 30-4 all-time in seven-game series when they have a 3-2 lead.
[Associated Press;
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