The Lakers are up, 35-24, at the end of the first quarter.

Big deal, you say?

Normally, you would be right. But then there’s this little tidbit, courtesy of one the Houston reporters who covers the Rockets:

The Rockets are 6-0 in this postseason when they lead after a quarter.

They are 0-4 in this postseason when they trail after a quarter.

Rockets coach Rick Adleman was asked about this, before the game, and he said, in essence, “We know we need to start well to improve our chances of winning.”

We’ll see if the stat holds up through another game.

Another good sign for the Lakers: Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza and Jordan Farmar bombed in three three-pointers in the final seconds of the half, and Farmar’s was a 30-foot buzzer-beater.

If the Lakers make some threes, their chances of winning go up exponentially.