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Tuesday April 22, 2008 1:43 AM


Jazz head back to Utah with 2-0 series lead


Game 2: Utah 90, Houston 84

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Damien Pierce
Rockets.com Staff Writer
HOUSTON -- Before reaching his team's bench on Monday night, Carlos Boozer had a message for his teammates.

He doesn't have any desire to return to Houston.

"We're not coming back," Boozer shouted.

The Jazz are in position to get their wish.

Despite having to overcome a near-triple double from Tracy McGrady and needing a beneficial last-second call to survive, the Jazz are returning to Utah in total command of their first-round series with the Rockets after claiming a 90-84 victory in Game 2 at Toyota Center.

The Jazz grabbed a 2-0 lead in the series heading into Game 3 on Thursday night, giving them a chance to sweep away the Rockets with back-to-back victories at home. During the regular season, the Jazz were an NBA-best 37-4 at EnergySolutions Arena.

The Rockets had their chances to even the series. But down the stretch, they struggled to make shots and were ultimately done in by a controversial call when Luis Scola was whistled for an offensive foul in the waning moments.

Now, the Rockets have to find a way to win in Salt Lake City to extend their season.

"We're in a must-win situation," McGrady said. "This is probably the first time my back has been against the wall in the playoffs. It's even tougher because they're such a great home team. It's tough to win out there in Salt Lake City. It's going to show what type of team we are. We're either going to fold because we're down 0-2 or we're going to fight back."

The latest playoff game slipped from Houston's grasp in the final minute.

The Rockets pulled within 85-82 after Scola netted a pair of free throws with 1:31 remaining. But after getting a much-needed defensive stop, the Rockets couldn't pull any closer. Scola missed a layup, but Shane Battier stripped the ball away from Utah's Kyle Korver to give Houston a second chance. The Rockets swung the ball around the perimeter and found Bobby Jackson open for a three-pointer.

But as Jackson's three-pointer swished through the net to potentially tie the game, Scola was whistled for an offensive foul by referee Tony Brothers for shoving Andrei Kirilenko.

The Rockets were stunned by the call after the game.

"I didn't look at it very long," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "He put his hand on Kirilenko's shoulder. Kirilenko fell back like a truck just hit him and you're going to make that call at that time of this game when just six seconds before Luis went to the basket and he got hammered? The same guy didn't make the call. All that stuff that went on in the game, you're going to make that call at that time? I really have a hard time with that."

Still, the Rockets had time to recover.

On the ensuing possession, Korver hit the side of the backboard on a jumper. But Kirilenko snagged the rebound and tossed the ball back to the Utah forward. Korver hit a one-handed 16-footer to beat the shot clock, giving the Jazz an 87-82 lead with 20.2 seconds left.

Five seconds later, McGrady missed a three-pointer on the other end and the game was over.

"The shot clock was running low and Deron (Williams) threw me the ball and if the backboard didn't get my first shot, I thought it might have gone in," Korver said. "I got the ball back and shot a floater and it went in. It all happened kinda quick. The first shot felt good, but it was also kind of embarrasing."

The Jazz helped their cause by slowing down McGrady in the second half.

During the first 24 minutes of the game, the Rockets' All-Star shooting guard rallied his team from a nine-point deficit and put Houston's offense on his shoulders. He had 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists in 22 minutes of action, keeping the Rockets within striking distance by trailing only 47-41 at the break.

With another scoring surge to begin the third quarter, McGrady pushed the Rockets into the lead. He made three of his first five shots and handed out four assists in the third quarter as Houston took a 61-59 lead.

But that's when the Jazz opted to switch Kirilenko on McGrady. The Rockets star missed his next six shots, scoring one point over the final 20 minutes.

"I didn't have anything," said McGrady, who finished with 23 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists. "I had no legs. I was on empty. Banging with Matt Harpring, trying to rebound, trying to make plays for my team, trying to score, playing 43 minutes. That's a lot."

The Rockets finished the fourth quarter shooting 29.4 percent, making only 5-of-17 attempts. They missed all five of their shots from three-point range.

The Jazz overcame another foul-plagued night from Boozer to collect their sixth win over the Rockets in the past seven meetings between the two teams. Williams paced Utah with 22 points and five assists, while Mehmet Okur pitched in with 16 points and 16 rebounds.

Now, Utah has a chance to end Houston's season without having to leave Salt Lake City.

"That's the goal," Boozer said. "It's not going to be easy by any means. They'll be ready to play. But that should be our goal. Our goal should be to win two games at home starting with Game 3."