HOUSTON (AP) -- Dikembe Mutombo swatted the shot by the kid half

his age, then wagged his index finger to the crowd's delight.

Elias Says

Mutombo Dikembe Mutombo had seven points and 19 rebounds in the Rockets' 102-77 victory over the Lakers. It was Mutombo's eighth straight game with double-digit rebounds and single-digit points. The only other active NBA players who have ever done that in eight consecutive games are Tyson Chandler (a 10-game streak last season) and Ben Wallace (separate streaks of eight and nine games). • Read more Elias Says.

Mutombo stuffed another shot by Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew

Bynum 3 minutes later to move past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and into

second place on the all-time blocks list.

The 40-year-old Mutombo had five blocks in all and matched a

season high with 19 rebounds in the Houston Rockets' 102-77 win

over the Lakers on Wednesday night. He now has 3,191 blocks, two

more than Abdul-Jabbar on the all-time list.

"When I came into the league 16 years ago, I told myself that I

just want to be remembered for one thing," Mutombo said, "just to

be one of the great defensive players to ever play this game."

The Rockets have won seven of nine games since Yao Ming broke a

bone in his right leg and much of it is due to the suddenly spry

Mutombo, who's had double-digit rebound totals in eight consecutive

games.

"It's amazing, just the way I'm playing," said the 7-foot-2

Mutombo. "Even to myself, I'm sitting down like, 'Whoa, is Mutombo

really playing like that?' I haven't seen myself jumping for a

rebound like that for a while."

Mutombo's three children -- ages 9, 5 and 3 -- have nagged him

lately about when he was going to pass Abdul-Jabbar. He had only

one block in each of Houston's last four games.

"Now, they're going to leave me alone," he said. "No more

asking, 'Daddy! When are you going to block all the shots and break

the record?"

Mutombo is still 639 blocks from all-time leader, former Rocket

and fellow African Hakeem Olajuwon. Mutombo hasn't said when he'll

retire, but promises he won't stick around long enough to threaten

Olajuwon's mark.

"I will leave that to my brother," he said. "He can keep that

torch for the next generation."

While Mutombo led the Rockets' stifling defense, Juwan Howard

scored a season-high 23 points and Rafer Alston added 20.

Houston also snapped a four-game losing streak to the Lakers

with little scoring help from Tracy McGrady, who'd topped 30 points

in each of his last six games. McGrady had only eight points and

appeared to aggravate his troublesome back late in the first half.

He also had 12 assists.

Kobe Bryant scored 20 points, but went 6-for-18 from the field,

for the Lakers, who were held to a season-low point total. Bryant

suffered a minor groin strain in the second quarter and left the

game with 3:33 left after playing 34 minutes.

Bryant said after the game the injury was "tight," but said he

would be ready to play on Friday against Orlando.

"I will let it chill and I should be fine," he said.

The Lakers shot 34 percent (26 of 76) and mustered a season-low

31 points in the second half.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson said Mutombo was only part of his

team's offensive struggles.

"The Rockets played good defense and Mutombo had some big

blocks and we couldn't shoot the ball in the second half," Jackson

said. "Our passing failed us and we didn't shoot the ball well."

The Rockets built an early seven-point lead despite McGrady's

2-for-6 start. Bryant scored 10 points in the second quarter during

an 11-4 spurt to pull to a 41-41 tie.

McGrady, who missed seven games last month with back spasms, was

fouled on a drive by Brian Cook in the final minute of the half and

winced in pain as he walked to the free-throw line. He missed both

shots and had only six points at the break, though he also had six

assists.

Alston, coming off a 2-for-14 shooting night against Chicago on

Monday, sank a 3-pointer, then drove for a layup early in the third

quarter as the Rockets rebuilt their seven-point lead.

McGrady badly missed his first three shots of the second half,

but Shane Battier swished 3-pointers to keep Houston in front.

After Mutombo's blocks on the 19-year-old Bynum, Alston scored

on two drives as the Rockets finished the third quarter with an 8-0

run and led 72-58. In the closing seconds of the quarter, Jackson

got ejected by referee Tony Brothers for protesting a no-call.

McGrady went to the bench with 10:14 left, but the Rockets still

pulled away. Howard scored twice inside, then hit a 20-footer to

boost the lead to 80-60.

Luther Head drove for an unlikely dunk over Ronny Turiaf with

4:44 left, putting the Rockets up 88-66 and finishing off the

Lakers.Game notes
The Lakers lost for only the third time in their last 12

games with the Rockets in Houston. ... The Rockets improved to 8-0

this season when they score 100 points at home. ... Houston Texans

linebacker DeMeco Ryans and Tennessee quarterback and Houston

native Vince Young, the NFL's Defensive and Offensive Rookies of

the Year, sat at courtside, about 30 seats apart.