(My Sportsbook) - The surprising Houston Rockets face a big test Wednesday when they welcome the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers to Toyota Center.

The Rockets took the eventual champion Lakers to seven games in the Western Conference semifinals last season and the exciting postseason run doubled as Aaron Brooks' coming out party. Houston excelled despite losing Yao Ming during the series with LA and being without Tracy McGrady and Dikembe Mutumbo coming in.

In the offseason, the aging Mutumbo finally called it quits and a grim report surfaced saying Yao may never play again due to a fractured navicular bone in a left foot. For now, the Rockets are expecting Yao to miss only this season but at 7-foot-6 and 310 pounds, Yao's prodigious size make leg injuries a sensitive subject. Other talented big men like Sam Bowie and another former Rocket, Ralph Sampson, had careers cut short by a seemingly never ending series of leg injuries.

Yao, a seven-year NBA veteran, has now had three different fractures of the left foot and a hairline crack of the right leg. Already, the All-Star's tenuous future has knocked over a series of dominos in south Texas. It was likely the tipping point in Ron Artest's decision to flee Houston for the Lakers and had Daryl Morey looking for band-aids in the pivot. Meanwhile, McGrady is still sidelined after microfracture knee surgery.

Instead of falling apart Houston has looked impressive in the early going, winning its third straight game on Monday when Brooks poured in 19 points and dished out nine assists, as the Rockets used a strong second half to take down the Utah Jazz, 113-96, in Salt Lake City.

Luis Scola added 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Rockets, who have won three straight games after a season-opening loss at Portland. Rookie Chase Budinger added 17 points off the bench. Former Laker Trevor Ariza chipped in with 15 points, while Shane Battier ended with 13 points. Chuck Hayes finished with 12 points and nine boards for the victors.

"It was a big game. When you're playing against Utah you know it's going to be tight at the end of the season," said Brooks. "Even though it's early in the season we know these games really count because they can determine a lot later down the road."

The Lakers, meanwhile, opened a quick, two-game road trip on a positive note Tuesday when Kobe Bryant poured in 31 points and hit the go-ahead jumper in overtime, lifting Los Angeles to a 101-98 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Andrew Bynum tallied 22 points and 10 rebounds for the champs, who have won 10 in a row against the Thunder franchise. Artest posted 20 points, six assists and five steals for the Lakers. Lamar Odom ended with 13 points and eight boards as the Lakers moved to 12-2 in their last 14 road openers.

"We got stops, that's what it boiled down to," said Bryant. "There was obviously a free throw shooting contest down the stretch. We made some key defensive plays."

In the regular season, the Lakers have won four straight over Houston and three of their last four visits to south Texas.