Half: Lakers 52, Kings 35

The Lakers were halfway to breaking their four-game losing streak, leading comfortably over the lackluster Sacramento Kings tonight at Staples Center. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 16 points on 7-for-15 shooting in the first half. Lamar Odom added nine points and six rebounds. Pau Gasol had eight points, three rebounds and three assists in 18 minutes, playing with a strained left hamstring. The Lakers held the Kings to 33.3 shooting. The Lakers also outscored Sacramento by 34-4 in the paint, a remarkable statistic.

Gasol starts tonight (updated)

Despite suffering from a strained left hamstring and despite arriving 35 minutes late for tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings, Pau Gasol started as usual. He hit his first shot and showed no signs of the injury that kept him out of Thursday’s practice.

Gasol took a rest and rookie Derrick Caracter replaced him with 3:14 left in the first quarter. The line so far: two points on 1-for-3 shooting and one assist. He returned to the floor to start the second quarter, with the Lakers leading the Kings, 21-16.

Hamstring bothering Gasol

Are you ready for rookie Derrick Caracter to make his first start in the NBA when the Lakers host the Sacramento Kings on Friday night? It could happen if Pau Gasol’s strained left hamstring isn’t sufficiently improved. Gasol had tightness in his hamstrings Tuesday against Memphis and Wednesday against Houston. He did not practice today. Stay tuned.

Rockets 109, Lakers 99 (Updated)

HOUSTON — The Lakers lost their fourth consecutive game, collapsing in a heap down the stretch en route to a loss to the injury-riddled Houston Rockets tonight. The Lakers were outscored 15-2 in the final 3-plus minutes. They went scoreless for the final 2:15. Shane Battier hit two big 3-pointers and also made three key free throws in the closing minutes.

Pau Gasol had to seek treatment for sore hamstrings in the second half. He returned to the court in the fourth quarter, but was ineffective. Ron Artest didn’t get off the bench in the fourth and played only six minutes in the second half. He limped from the arena after the game, but declined to say what was wrong. He said it was just his swagger.

Meanwhile, Lakers coach Phil Jackson revealed Andrew Bynum would practice with his teammates Thursday in El Segundo. How many Lakers would actually be available to practice because of injuries and the need for rest wasn’t immediately clear. it would most likely be a 4-on-4 game, rather than a 5-on-5 scrimmage, Jackson said.

Half: Lakers 56, Rockets 53

HOUSTON — The Lakers built a 12-point lead and seemed to have some momentum late in the first half tonight against the Houston Rockets. Then they watched the Rockets go on an 11-0 run to make it close again. Kobe Bryant’s jumper at the buzzer made it a three-point game. Bryant and Lamar Odom each had 15 points by halftime. The Lakers shot 55.8 percent, but the Rockets shot 53.5 percent. Luis Scola, Chuck Hayes, Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill scored eight apiece for Houston. The Rockets’ Yao Ming and Aaron Brooks were sidelined by ankle injuries.

Phil cracks on Rudy T

HOUSTON — Phil Jackson offered his congratulations to former Houston Rockets and (briefly) Lakers coach Rudy Tomjanovich, who was nominated for enshrinement into the Hall of Fame. “Wonderful,” Jackson said, smiling wryly to indicate he wasn’t entirely enthusiastic in his support. Jackson went on to agree with a local reporter that the Rockets’ championships in 1994 and ’95 should come with an footnote since Michael Jordan was on hiatus with the Jackson-coached Bulls at the time. Jackson said had Jordan been playing basketball instead of toiling in the minor leagues with the Chicago White Sox, the Bulls rather than the Rockets would have been champions. The Bulls won three in a row with Jordan, the Rockets won the next two, and then the Bulls won three more.