Lakers hit the big 5-0 with ease

They win their fifth straight to start the season, erasing early 16-point deficit and routing Rockets by 29. Their average victory margin is 22.4 points.

Wait, when exactly is that challenge supposed to come? The Lakers powered through another alleged contender, overcoming a numbingly slow start (seriously, a 16-point deficit in the second quarter) on the way to a breezy 111-82 victory Sunday over the Houston Rockets at Staples Center. Pau Gasol was steady as could be, Jordan Farmar donated a 16-point, six-assist effort in a reserve role, and early-game boos turned into standing ovations as the Lakers tied their third-largest margin of victory in a 41-year history of playing the Rockets.

Through five games, the only people who have toyed with the Lakers have been, well, the Lakers. They needed Kobe Bryant's fourth-quarter bailout for a victory in Denver. They needed a 22-0 run to dispatch the Clippers. They trailed Houston, 32-16, before finally awakening. Actually, "awakening" might be the understatement of the Lakers' young season. The final score represented a 45-point swing from their early deficit. From that rickety point in the second quarter, when boos began to seep out of fans after a three-second violation on Lamar Odom, the Lakers outscored Houston the rest of the way, 95-50 (not a typo).

"The momentum of this game just turned upside down after the first quarter," Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said.