Newcomer Steve Blake's 3-pointer with 18 seconds remaining gave the Los Angeles Lakers a 112-110 victory over the Houston Rockets in the season opener for both teams Tuesday night.

Pau Gasol had 29 points and 11 rebounds and Kobe Bryant scored 27 points for the two-time defending champions, who received their championship rings before the game, then rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit.

Blake was signed as a free agent in the offseason. A last-second shot by Houston’s Aaron Brooks was blocked by Lamar Odom.

Houston led for most of the contest before Los Angeles scored 11 straight points early in the fourth quarter to take the lead for the first time since the opening minutes.

Shannon Brown contributed 16 points off the bench and fueled the fourth-quarter rally. He made three 3-pointers over a three-minute span to give the Lakers an eight-point lead with 5:29 remaining.

Kevin Martin led Houston with 26 points and Brooks added 24. Luis Scola had 18 points and 16 rebounds.

Rockets center Yao Ming had nine points and 11 rebounds before fouling out in his first action since the 2009 playoffs. Yao is limited to 24 minutes per game while recovering from foot surgery.

Odom added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers.