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Early on, the Lakers could do little to stop Yao, who hit five of his first six shots.
Guarded by Brown, Yao converted two three-point plays in the first 5 minutes. Brown picked up both fouls and was replaced by 7-foot Andrew Bynum.
Yao promptly flipped a hook over Bynum, then dumped a pass to Head for a reverse layup that gave the Rockets a 19-9 lead.
The Rockets missed four of their last five shots of the half and the Lakers finished with a 13-3 run to take a 54-51 lead at the break.
Bonzi Wells, who hadn’t played since the third game, started the second half for Houston and pulled down a rebound 13 seconds out of halftime. Van Gundy acknowledged this week that the two had “struggled to find common ground” since Wells arrived at training camp.
The Lakers opened the half with a 14-4 run as the Rockets turned sloppy, committing eight turnovers in the first 6 minutes.
“We didn’t have the focus you need to have to play those guys,” said Battier. “You’ve really got to be on your game mentally. We didn’t respond the way good teams respond. Hopefully, that’s a lesson we can learn.”
Notes: The Rockets fell to 9-31 without McGrady. ... Hostoun opens its longest road trip of the season, a five-game West Coast swing, against Golden State on Thursday. ... The Rockets and Lakers play again Friday, at Staples Center.
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