The Houston Rockets lost to the L.A. Lakers 99-98 Thursday night at the Toyota Center with a dramatic finish, giving away a hard-won lead by allowing guard Steve Blake buried a 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left.

The Rockets started the game lamely with poor defense, trailing by as many as 19 points in the first half. The Lakers buried 3 pointers one after another to keep the Rockets at bay. But the Rockets made a comeback at the third quarter, outscoring the Lakers by 10 points. The Rockets established their lead finally in the final quarter, expecting a win.

However, Dwight Howard consecutively missed four free throws in the closing minutes, losing easy opportunities to widen the lead. With a fatal execution error in the last seconds, the Rockets failed to stop the Lakers from burying a 3-pointer while maintaining a two-point lead. The Rockets' last shot, an off balance 3-pointer by Pat Beverley missed.

Howard had a 15 points and 14 rebounds while missed 11 free throws in total, a performance described as only "average" by NBA commentators. James Harden grabbed 35 points and nine rebounds. Guard Jeremy Lin and forward Chandler Parsons scored 16 points apiece.

The victory-maker Blake finished with 14 points. Guard Jodie Meeks added 18 points and forward Wesley Johnson 16 for the Lakers.

The Rockets will play the L.A. Clippers Saturday night at the Toyota Center.