HOUSTON - The Rockets did more than extend their winning streak on Sunday. They validated it. Rafer Alston scored 31 points and hit eight 3-pointers, both career highs, and the Rockets beat the LA Lakers 104-92 to extend their winning streak to 22 and claim sole possession of first place in the Western Conference.

Kobe Bryant scored 24 points for the Lakers and smothered Tracy McGrady on defense, helping hold the Houston star to 11 points on 4-for-16 shooting.

The rest of the Rockets made up for it. Shane Battier scored 14 points and shadowed Bryant most of the game. Backup point guard Bobby Jackson added 19 points and Luis Scola had 13 points and 11 rebounds.

The Rockets have won 26 of their last 27 games and 31 of their last 34. They've won 15 straight at the Toyota Center, 10 straight since Yoa Ming went out with a broken foot and 11 of their last 13 games by double digits.

The Lakers have lost three of their last four. They played without Pau Gasol, who's out indefinitely with a sprained ankle.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Tom Brady was as giddy as the quarterback of an unbeaten and perhaps unbeatable team should be. Had Bill Belichick spotted him slapping the backs of his New England teammates, the doer coach might have scoffed.  After all, a perfect 16-0 regular season won't mean much if the Patriots don't win their next three games and another Super Bowl.

"We've been dealing with being undefeated all season," Brady said Saturday night after the thrilling 38-35 victory over the NY Giants in a game worthy of the NFL's championship showcase. "It was kind of a strange game. It really doesn't mean much to either team, but it means a lot."

New England became the first NFL team since the 1972 Dolphins to win every game on the schedule, and that one was only 14-0. This victory required a Brady-engineered comeback from a 12-point deficit and smashed the Patriots' league mark for consecutive victories.

"Going undefeated during the regular season is a remarkable achievement," 1972 Dolphins coach Don Shula said. "I know firsthand how difficult it is to win every game, and just as we did in 1972, the Patriots have done a great job concentrating on each week's opponent and not letting any other distractions interrupt that focus. If they go on to complete an undefeated season, I will be the first to congratulate Coach Belichick and the Patriot organization."

Validation of the Patriots' inexorable march through the season can only come by adding a Super Bowl championship. Do that, and there'll be no challenge to their spot at the top.