LOS ANGELES, 21 April 2004 — Shaquille O’Neal and Gary Payton had subpar games, but the Houston Rockets had little success stopping Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone.

Bryant scored 36 points and Malone had 17 for the Lakers, who pulled away in the second half en route to a 98-84 victory on Monday over the Rockets and a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference first-round series.

“Everyone stayed focused,” said Los Angeles Malone. “When Shaq picked up those fouls, everyone realized what they had to do. It was a great team effort.”

O’Neal had just two points and three fouls in the first half and finished with a playoff career-low seven points, while Payton scored six. “I didn’t really play in the important parts of the game,” O’Neal said. “I was on the bench in foul trouble, but everyone else stepped up.”

The Lakers held a 66-62 edge before Malone made a jumper with 49 seconds left in the third quarter.

Bryant followed with a 3-pointer and, after a layup by Houston’s Steve Francis, sank three free throws following an ill-advised foul by Cuttino Mobley with two seconds to go, opening a 74-64 cushion.

The Rockets got no closer in the final quarter. China’s Yao Ming had 21 points to pace the Rockets, including six in the fourth quarter.

Jim Jackson added 19 points and Francis collected 18, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for a triple-double in his second career playoff game. The Rockets struggled at the line, going just 19-of-30. The Lakers were 23-of-27, with Bryant sinking 16-of-17.

Game Three of the best-of-seven series is Friday in Houston.

Former Laker Robert Horry had 14 points and 10 rebounds and made two 3-pointers to stop a big run late in the third quarter as the San Antonio Spurs defeated Memphis 87-70 to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round series.

Frenchman Tony Parker collected 27 points and seven assists and Tim Duncan added 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs, who held the Grizzlies without a basket for nearly 11 minutes before Bonzi Wells connected with 5:01 left in the fourth quarter.

The Grizzlies trailed by 12 points early in the third period before pulling within 55-54 on a pair of free throws by Stromile Swift with 4:56 left.

Horry countered with a 3-pointer 15 seconds later and, after a layup by Memphis’ Bonzi Wells, nailed another shot form the arc to open a five-point cushion with 3:20 left. The Spurs extended the lead to 68-59 at the end of the quarter. “I love it because the fans love it,” Horry said. “The fans get so amped.

“They give me amp, and that’s the kind of thing you need to push you through games like this.” Said coach Gregg Popovich, “Horry did a great job tonight, kept us in it when I thought we could have lost the lead, and he knocked down some shots.”

Horry, who made 6-of-9 shots, won two titles with Houston and three with Los Angeles before signing with San Antonio as a free agent last summer.

The Spurs outrebounded Memphis, 53-35, including a 12-4 advantage on the offensive glass.

Game Three in the best-of-seven series is tomorrow in Memphis.