Game 3 Report

FIRST QUARTER

LAKERS 23 HOUSTON 29

Highlight reel: The Rockets ended the quarter with style and substance. Guard Steve Francis calmly dribbled for several seconds at the top of the three-point line before making a 25-foot three-point shot with 1.6 seconds.

Not in the box score: Think Shaquille O’Neal came to play? He scored 11 of the Lakers’ first 15 points and assisted on the other two baskets, passing to Karl Malone for open shots. O’Neal’s not perfect, though, picking up his first foul only 43 seconds into the game.

Winning number: Six. Rocket guard Cuttino Mobley, averaging only 9.5 points in the series, scored six in the quarter. He also played solid defense against Kobe Bryant.

Wrong number: Two. Bryant scored only two points in the quarter and picked up his second foul with 1:50 left.

Leading scorers: Lakers -- O’Neal 11, Malone 8. Rockets -- Francis 8, Mobley and Yao Ming 6.

Leading rebounders: Lakers -- Malone 3, O’Neal 3. Rockets -- Yao 3, Kelvin Cato and Bostjan Nachbar 2.

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SECOND QUARTER

LAKERS 43 HOUSTON 56

Highlight reel: It came two games too late, but Jim Jackson made a three-point shot from the corner, indicative of the Rockets’ early success from three-point range. After making only five of 22 three-point shots in the first two games, the Rockets made six of 10 in the first half.

Not in the box score: A fastbreak! Derek Fisher took a long rebound and passed to Gary Payton up court with 6:33 to go in the quarter for the game’s first transition basket.

Winning number: 27. Francis and Mobley made nine of 17 shots in the first half and combined for 27 points, the exact number they scored in Game 2.

Wrong number: O’Neal picked up his third foul, tripping Francis on a drive to the basket with 2:10 left. Luke Walton comes in, O’Neal heads to the bench.

Leading scorers: Lakers -- Bryant 9, Rush 3. Rockets -- Francis 7, Mobley and Jackson 6.

Leading rebounders: Lakers -- Bryant 3. Rockets -- Jackson 5, Francis 3.

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THIRD QUARTER

LAKERS 62 HOUSTON 74

Highlight reel: Take your pick of O’Neal’s dunks. He had a one-armed rebound slam over Yao after Payton missed a layup and, a little over a minute later, O’Neal backed Cato down and dunked with ease after Cato flopped.

Not in the box score: The teams had three full days’ rest between games -- an eternity in NBA time -- but the rust didn’t show until the start of the third quarter. Nine consecutive shots were missed until Francis made a three-point shot from the corner with 9:28 left in the quarter.

Winning number: Three. The Rockets continued to flourish from long range, Mobley, Jackson and Francis making three-point shots in the quarter for the Rockets.

Wrong number: 16. The Lakers fell far behind after Francis’ three-point shot gave the Rockets a 59-43 lead.

Leading scorers: Lakers -- Malone 6, O’Neal and Bryant 4. Rockets -- Jackson and Mobley 5, Francis 4.

Leading rebounders: Lakers -- O’Neal 4, Malone 3. Rockets -- Cato 4, Francis and Mobley 3.

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FOURTH QUARTER

LAKERS 91 HOUSTON 102

Highlight reel: Francis came up big in the final 1:07 to ensure victory. With the Rockets holding a six-point lead, Francis beat Fisher off the dribble, moved around O’Neal and scored. On the Rockets’ next possession, he dribbled around Fisher again and scored slingshot-style from the hip after getting body-slammed by O’Neal in the lane.

Not in the box score: Maurice Taylor rebounded his miss and made a soft bank from nine feet to reestablish a 10-point Houston lead with 5:21 left. “Remember that play,” Laker play-by-play announcer Paul Sunderland said sternly.

Winning number: 125. It’s one of few acceptable Game 3 numbers for the Lakers: With 11:11 left, Fisher made the 125th three-point basket of his playoff career, No. 1 in the category in Laker history.

Wrong number: Zero. No fourth-quarter points, assists, rebounds, or minutes for Payton, who sat out the fourth quarter for a second consecutive game.

Leading scorers: Lakers -- O’Neal 10, Fisher 8. Rockets -- Francis, Yao and Taylor 8.

Leading rebounders: Lakers -- O’Neal and Malone 4. Rockets -- Jackson and Yao 3.