NBA: Houston 99, Los Angeles Lakers 87

HOUSTON, May 10 (UPI) -- Aaron Brooks had 34 points Sunday and the Houston Rockets blasted off with a 29-point first quarter, going on beat the Los Angeles Lakers 99-87.

Shane Battier scored 23 -- 12 of them in the opening quarter, which ended with the Rockets leading 29-16.

The win pulled Houston into a 2-2 with the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals. Game 5 will be played Tuesday in Los Angeles.

Houston played without all-star center Yao Ming, who will miss the rest of the playoffs after suffering a hairline fracture in his left foot in Game 3, but the Rockets scored 32 points in the paint compared to the Lakers' 38. Houston out-rebounded the Lakers 43-37 and led by as many as 29 points before a delirious Mother's Day crowd in Texas.

Pau Gasol led the Lakers, who trailed the entire game, with 30 points and nine rebounds. Kobe Bryant scored 15 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the field.