Los Angeles ? Yao Ming was nothing more than a bit player in his first seven NBA games.

That sure changed in No. 8.

The 7-foot-6 rookie shot 9-for-9 and doubled his career high with 20 points Sunday night. Yao played his first starring role for the Houston Rockets, helping them beat the three-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers 93-89.

“He understands basketball stuff very well,” Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. “We knew that once he got comfortable, the games were going to get better, and the minutes that he will get are going to get better.”

Of course, Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t around to jam up the middle, and Yao took full advantage, getting 8 points on dunks.

“He definitely had an impact on this game. But it’s not going to be that way when No. 34 gets back,” Lakers’ guard Brian Shaw said, referring to O’Neal.

Yao, the first overall pick in last summer’s NBA draft, had a previous single-game high of 10 points. That’s what he scored Friday on 5-for-6 shooting in 14 minutes at Phoenix.

The 22-year-old Yao played 23 minutes against the Lakers – one under his career high.

“You saw the finished product today,” Tomjanovich said. “He played a great game, and the reason why we won was because of the buckets that he had down the stretch, getting to the line.”

One play in particular stood out against the Lakers.

Yao made six baskets in the second quarter and three baskets and a pair of free throws to complete three-point plays in the final period.