Utah Jazz keeps Rockets off offensive boards

One of the keys to the Houston Rockets' success in their Game 3 victory over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night was offensive rebounding. The Rockets grabbed 16 offensive boards with a pair of rookies, Carl Landry and Luis Scola, leading the way with a combined 12.

But the Rockets didn't have the same success on the offensive glass during Saturday night's Game 4 at EnergySolutions Arena. That's one of the reasons the Jazz were able to earn a hard-fought 86-82 victory to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

"There big people are very physical, they push you around," said Houston coach Rick Adelman just prior to Game 4. "Our guys are quick. I think that's where we hurt them (in Game 3). I think we surprised them."

The surprise was on the Rockets on Saturday. Mehmet Okur's offensive rebound off a Deron Williams free throw miss with six seconds left turned the tables and sealed the victory for the Jazz.

"We had inside position on it," Adelman said of Okur's offensive rebound. "We just didn't get the ball."

Houston, meanwhile, managed a total of just 11 offensive rebounds despite plenty of opportunities since they only shot 36.7 percent (29-for-79) from the field for the game. Landry again used his quickness to pick up six of those offensive boards, but no other Rocket had more than one.

Landry didn't start, but he played 31 minutes and scored 13 points with six boards, all on the offensive end. Scola, meanwhile, scored seven points with seven boards before fouling out in the final minute.

The Rockets weren't able to pull off another road upset, but their young big men once again showed a great deal of promise in a close, intense playoff situation.

"We're getting good production from our power forwards and they are both rookies, Luis (Scola) and Carl Landry," said Rockets star swingman Tracy McGrady. "When you've got guys that are fresh to the playoffs and aren't afraid of the intensity and the stakes of the playoffs, it really helps you out a lot. You can put trust in them."

Landry and Scola spent much of the game defending Jazz power forward Carlos Boozer, who went just 3-for-13 from the field for the game.

McGrady, too, shot a poor percentage. He scored a game-high 23 points, but was only 9-for-25 from the field.

"(Utah's) whole game plan was to beat (McGrady) up the whole game," said Adelman. "They were very physical with him. I really have a hard time understanding some of the things they can do to him out on the floor."

The series heads back to Houston for Game 5, which will be played Tuesday night at the Toyota Center.

"Obviously it was really a tough loss for us," said Adelman. "The guys really battled. They battled the whole game and they battled back at the end and we had a great shot. ... We just have to figure out how to be more efficient offensively and get ready for the next game.

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E-mail: lojo@desnews.com