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Rockets need a win in Game 2 against Jazz

Mon 21st, April 2008

(Sports Network) - The Houston Rockets try to avoid losing the first two games of their first-round playoff series at home, as they host the Northwest Division-champion Utah Jazz tonight at the Toyota Center.

In the opener, Deron Williams scored 20 points and dished 10 assists as the fourth-seeded Jazz rolled to a relatively easy 93-82 win over No. 5 Houston on Saturday at the Toyota Center.

All-Star Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 16 rebounds in the victory, while forward Andrei Kirilenko scored 21 points for the Jazz.

Tracy McGrady scored 20 points and handed out seven assists for the Rockets, who played without starting point guard Rafer Alston. Alston is out for at least the first two games of this series with a pulled right hamstring. Shane Battier scored 22 points for the Rockets, who rallied from down 13 in the first half to take the lead in the third quarter, only to see the Jazz jump back on top.

McGrady has not been on the winning side in an NBA playoff series (0-6) during his career.

The Jazz captured the Northwest Division crown and are the fourth seed in the West, while Houston is No. 5 and finished in third place in the Southwest Division. The Rockets own home-court advantage in this series since they had a better regular-season record than Utah.

Houston has won two straight Game 2s in the postseason, while the Jazz have dropped three of their last four Game 2s.

Utah defeated the Rockets in seven games in last year's postseason. Houston won the first two games of the set, and ended up losing Game 7, 103-99, at the Toyota Center.

There is a lot more playoff history between the Jazz and Rockets. This is the seventh time in the postseason that the teams will square off.

Houston defeated Utah in the first round of the postseason in 1995 and in the 1994 West finals. The Jazz knocked out the Rockets in the opening round of 1985 and 1998 and in the 1997 conference finals.

Game 3 of this best-of-seven series is scheduled for Thursday at EnergySolutions Arena.

During the regular season, the Jazz were 2-1 against Houston. The teams split a pair of games at Utah, while the Jazz knocked off the Rockets, 97-89, on January 27 at the Toyota Center.

The last time the Jazz were eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs was in 2003, when they were knocked out by the Sacramento Kings in five games, 4-1.

The Rockets are trying to win their first playoff series since 1997. They defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in seven games, 4-3, in the West semis, before losing to the Jazz in the conference finals, 4-2.

Houston is going to have to win in the postseason without All-Star center Yao Ming, who last played on February 24. Yao has been sidelined with a stress fracture in his left foot and underwent surgery on the injury. Yao averaged 22.0 points and 10.8 rebounds in 55 games this season for the Rockets, and shot 50.7 percent from the floor.

Utah was 17-24 on the road during the regular season, while Houston was 31-10 at home.

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