Triangle Has Familiar Ring

The Lakers won a game against a team from Texas, Kobe Bryant donated a large sum of money after scoring 27 points, and along the way, things looked a little more, well, triangular.

After an underwhelming trip through Texas, the Lakers returned to Staples Center and defeated the Houston Rockets, 111-104, with a familiar staple of Laker championship teams making an unexpected appearance Friday in front of 18,997.

The triangle offense was back in play, a day after Coach Rudy Tomjanovich said he was open to suggestions from his players, part of his eternal quest to keep an open mind, a phrase he is fond of using.

Sure enough, with passes going into the high post, followed by two cutting players, an element of the triangle was set in motion for the first time since the Lakers scrapped it last June, right about the time owner Jerry Buss stalked out of the Palace of Auburn Hills, his team and its offense in ruin after getting sideswiped by Detroit in the NBA Finals.

The triangle offense was believed to have left town with Shaquille O’Neal, substituted by a faster, more pleasing up-tempo offense. On Friday, the triangle was one of the elements that helped the Lakers to a 61-37 halftime lead.

Somewhere in Montana, Phil Jackson was smiling, joined in unison by Tex Winter, wherever he is dwelling these days, be it at his home in Oregon or, a bit closer, his home in Carson.

“Just putting different items on the menu,” Tomjanovich said.

Bryant, who donated $1,000 for every point he scored to a tsunami relief fund, made 10 of 19 shots and had 10 assists.

He had three points in the first quarter, 15 in the second, none in the third and, after the Rockets threatened, nine in the fourth to help make sure the 24-point lead wasn’t fumbled.

“Rudy and I were just talking today, because in the past few games, teams have been keying on myself and Lamar [Odom],” Bryant said. “He and I talked, and we prepared an offense with a little more continuity.

“Everybody seems to love it. It’s much tougher to double-team us.”

It added a cosmetic touch-up to a team that had flunked its foray through two-thirds of the Texas Triangle, losing to San Antonio and Dallas on consecutive nights by a combined 31 points.

The Lakers fared better Friday against the weakest of the three Texas teams, displaying some of their best first-half defense of the season by holding the Rockets to 14-for-41 shooting.

The Lakers also halted an 0-12 skid this season when giving up 100 or more points.

“The first half was great,” Tomjanovich said. “The second half, I thought we were on them several times, but [Tracy] McGrady makes guarded shots.

“I’m tired of this talk about our defense. We’ve got to prove to people that it isn’t that way.”

McGrady, who donated to the tsunami fund in the same way Bryant did, had 26 points. Rocket guard Bob Sura, who also committed to the cause, had 20 points. Yao Ming had 25 points and fouled out with 2:14 left to play.

This being the Lakers, with no such thing as a large enough lead, it wasn’t a total surprise to see their halftime edge whittled down to 83-74 by the end of the third quarter.

The Rockets closed within 96-88 on a fastbreak layup by McGrady with 5:34 left to play, but Bryant pushed the lead back to 10 on a reverse dunk that drew the attention of the crowd.

The Rockets inched closer, two free throws by Maurice Taylor making it 106-100 with 1:30 to play.

Odom, who had 20 points and 12 rebounds, made a three-pointer from the top of the arc to restore the lead to 109-100 with 1:07 left.

“That’s the type of output this team needs from me to win games,” Odom said. “Tonight, I was aggressive, in my spots with the ball.”