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Despite recording not just his 30,000th point in the game but also putting away 39, Kobe Bryant's effort wasn't enough for the Los Angeles Lakers in their 107-105 loss to the Houston Rockets.
Toney Douglas and Greg Smith came off the bench to score 22 and 21 points respectively in the come-from-behind win for the Rockets. James Harden also dropped a double-double on the Lakers with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Carlos Delfino chipped in 15 points off the bench.
The hack-a-Dwight strategy continues for the Lakers' opponents with Dwight Howard heading to the line 16 times for Los Angeles against the Rockets, converting just eight of the free throws. Bryant nearly matched Howard with 12 trips to the charity stripe on the evening.
The Rockets will play in-state rivals for two straight days, first traveling to face the San Antonio Spurs on Friday and then heading home to face the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.