NBA PLAYOFFS Bryant, Malone have main roles in Lakers' victory over Rockets

The Western Conference series moves to Houston starting Friday.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Shaquille O'Neal had a game to forget.
The Los Angeles Lakers will remember it as a victory.
O'Neal had the lowest-scoring playoff game of his career, but Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone picked up the slack as the Lakers beat the Houston Rockets 98-84 on Monday night for a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.
O'Neal played 33 minutes and was in foul trouble most of the way.
"I had to turn my aggression level down a little bit," O'Neal said after getting just seven points and seven rebounds. "I was trying to play good defense, but they called a couple of wrist fouls on me. But overall, the team played well and stepped up."
Neutralized
O'Neal, who scored two points in 14 first-half minutes, picked up his fourth foul less than three minutes into the third quarter with the game tied.
"I really don't know how Shaquille O'Neal got himself behind the eight-ball, but he did," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.
With backup Slava Medvedenko sidelined by a strained right Achilles' tendon, Jackson had no choice but to leave O'Neal in.
It paid off.
"There were times out there tonight I didn't know if we were going to have enough players," Jackson said. "We were able to get a win."
Medvedenko was injured late in the second quarter. Jackson said afterward he didn't know the extent of the injury.
Bryant scored 17 of his 36 points in the third quarter, and Malone had 17 points and eight rebounds for the Lakers, who won by outscoring the Rockets 54-38 in the second half.
"When Shaq picked up those fouls, everyone realized what they had to do," Malone said. "We made some shots. We shot the ball with confidence. We defended, also."
The best-of-7 series moves to Houston for Games 3 and 4 Friday night and Sunday afternoon.
In the Lakers' 72-71 victory in Game 1, O'Neal had 20 points and 17 rebounds and made the winning basket. Bryant, meanwhile shot 4-of-19 for 16 points and Malone was 3-of-14 for seven points.
Breakdown
It was a much different story this time, with Bryant shooting 9-of-20 from the field and 16-of-17 from the foul line. Malone shot 7-of-12, and O'Neal was 3-of-9.
Derek Fisher scored 11 points and Kareem Rush had 10 for the Lakers, who shot 45.3 percent after being held to a season-low 32.9 percent in the opener.
Steve Francis, appearing in just his second playoff game, became the fourth Houston player to record a postseason triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.
Yao Ming scored 21 points and Jim Jackson added 19 for the Rockets.