Despite having to play without their undisputed leader Yao Ming, the Houston Rockets were able to even the series on Sunday afternoon on their home court with a 99-87 win versus Los Angeles. Thus, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers are under considerable pressure to win game five at home on Wednesday at 3:30 a.m. GMT and avoid having a potential elimination game in Houston.

Without any doubts, it was a huge shock for the Rockets franchise and fan base when Houston’s medical staff announced that Yao Ming suffered a hairline fracture in his left foot. Although he will most likely not have to undergo surgery, a three month rehabilitation period will be necessary that will prevent him from playing any further playoff games this year.

However, the shorthanded Houston Rockets came out of the locker room and showed an impressive performance versus the Los Angeles Lakers in game four. Many expected the Rockets to throw the towel after losing another key player but instead they played terrific defense and exploited Lakers’ weaknesses on the other end of the floor. At half-time the Rockets were already up 54-36 and did not lose their momentum over the remaining two quarters. Aaron Brocks had 34 points while Shane Battier added 23. In contrast, Kobe Bryant had only 15 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the field.

One key aspect for the outcome of game five will be the Lakers’ ability to adjust to Houston’s lineup and game plan changes without Yao Ming. In game four they completely failed to adjust to the increase of lane penetration and pick-and-roll play calls. Likewise, Pau Gasol appeared to have significant problems with defending Chuck Hayes, thus Phil Jackson may consider a Hack-a-Hayes strategy to exploit his inability of consistently knocking down free throws.

You can watch this NBA Western Conference semi-final game right here on www.watchlivenba.com, the home of live NBA streaming.