LAKERS TURN TO ESCAPE ACT KOBE, MALONE TAKE CHARGE IN OT VICTORY; L.A. LEADS 3-1 LAKERS 92, HOUSTON 88.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

HOUSTON - The space under Kobe Bryant's left eye was puffy, the right shoulder of Karl Malone's jersey shredded and frayed, and by early Sunday evening, the Lakers were still examining the divots and abrasions, the price they paid for four draining days in Texas.

They found more resistance in the Houston Rockets than maybe they anticipated after winning the first two games of the series and discovered more blemishes in their own arsenal than they would readily admit.

And on a humid Sunday afternoon, the Lakers came within seconds of giving away their advantage and possibly what remained of their superiority complex.

At the far end of the journey, Bryant and Malone pulled the tattered edges together, secured a 92-88 overtime victory and gave the Lakers a 3-1 lead before they headed back to Los Angeles. Game 5 is Wednesday at Staples Center.

That the Lakers are in position to clinch the series is testament to Bryant's single-mindedness and Malone's boundless energy. Malone scored a game-high 30 points, four in overtime, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only 40-year-olds in league history to score at least 20 in a playoff game.

Bryant woke up feeling weak after some stomach distress, had his eye poked by Steve Francis in the fourth quarter and missed two potential game-winners in regulation before delivering the three-point play that put the Lakers ahead for good.

``That's what I do best for this team,'' a weary Bryant said, ``is close teams out.''

The Lakers have three chances to close out the Rockets and advance to the conference semifinals but chastened by the past 72 hours, they have no desire to drag this out.

``This is a closeout game, they're going to be desperate,'' coach Phil Jackson said. ``We have to take care of business at home.''

Despite his weakened state, Bryant played all but three minutes of the game and even then was determined not to sit. With rubbery legs and an aching eyeball, he missed seven consecutive shots from the fourth quarter to overtime, five in the fourth quarter and two that could have won the game in the final 30 seconds.

``Maybe some legs, also tough shots,'' said Bryant, who finished with 18 points on 7-of-21 shooting. ``Every time I turned around, they had a defender in my face coming from the weak side. Those were some pretty contested shots.''

The illness was not food poisoning, Bryant said, and he needed nothing more than fluids to recover. By the end of the day, his eye was more troublesome than anything else and might have been a factor as he missed a point-blank baseline runner and a 22-footer down the stretch, either of which could have ended the game.

``The last shot I took at the end of regulation to try to win the game, I saw about three baskets,'' Bryant said. ``It felt like (Francis') whole finger went in my eye socket. And after that, my eye just felt like it was just shaking the rest of regulation.''

Bryant finally connected in overtime, and both Malone and Bryant scored three-point plays as the Lakers turned a four-point deficit into a 91-88 lead with 40.3 seconds left. Francis lost the ball to Malone at the other end, and the Lakers escaped.

``Things,'' said Francis, ``didn't go our way. ''

Houston opened the fourth quarter with a 14-4 run, stripping away most of a 14-point deficit and leaving the Lakers ``despondent'' in Jackson's view. Houston also missed a chance to win the game in regulation, when Francis and Jim Jackson shot airballs.

Shaquille O'Neal scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, but his most important contribution was a pregame pep talk with Malone, during a one-on-one game before tipoff.

``I told him, 'You've got to make Jeff Van Gundy respect you,' '' O'Neal said.

Then O'Neal started kicking out the passes and Malone methodically knocked shots down. He hit eight of his first 10, had 20 points and eight rebounds by halftime, and a torn jersey after a collision with Bostjan Nachbar.

``It was gratifying,'' said Malone, who has become a force during the series. ``I wish my mom could have been here to watch that one.''

Malone survived his two scraps with Nachbar, which nearly set off a brawl, while on the sideline, Van Gundy and Jackson renewed their personal battle.

Van Gundy had wandered onto the court to shout at the referees, and Jackson leapt to his feet. ``Get that little (expletive) off the floor!'' Van Gundy turned and shot back, ``(Bleep) you! (Bleep) you!''

``It's no news,'' Van Gundy insisted. ``We ain't smokin' the peace pipe here anytime soon.''

Howard Beck, [phone]

howard.beck(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) YAO-ZA

Trailing in overtime, Lakers go on 7-1 run when Yao Ming fouls out to escape Houston with a 3-1 series lead.

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

(2) Kobe Bryant and the rest of the Lakers flexed their muscle in overtime to take commanding three games to one lead over the Rockets in the best-of-seven series, which resumes Wednesday in Los Angeles.

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Box:

(1) LAKERS vs. HOUSTON: Lakers lead best-of-seven series 3-1

(2) GAME RECAP