Utah Jazz: Knockout punch — Jazz crush Rockets in 2nd half to earn playoff date with Lakers

McGrady went on a personal 9-0 run — a floater, two free throws, a driving layup and a 3-pointer — and scored 13 consecutive points for Houston as the Rockets whittled away at Utah's double-digit advantage.

And when backup point guard Bobby Jackson hit a runner with 29.4 seconds left before halftime, the Jazz lead was down to one at 55-54.

Williams, though, knocked down a 3-pointer 7.9 seconds before the half was done, sending Utah into the break up 58-54.

The Jazz point carried his hot hand into the third quarter, helping push Utah's advantage to 85-65 heading into the fourth.

"We just ran out of gas," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "We couldn't make another run."

Williams finished 9-of-17 from the field, including 6-for-9 from 3-point range overall and 4-of-5 from behind the long-distance line in the third quarter alone.

"I wasn't looking to score as much in the first half," Williams said, "and I wanted to be a little more assertive in the second half."

"He (Williams) was a lot more aggressive in the second half," McGrady said. "It seemed like he was feeding off the crowd."

Okur (19 points and a game-high 13 rebounds) and Boozer (15 points, 10 boards) both had double-doubles for the Jazz, who also got 13 points from Brewer, 11 from Kirilenko and 10 apiece off the bench from Matt Harpring and Kyle Korver.

McGrady, meanwhile, went scoreless with 0-of-4 field shooting during a third quarter in which Houston shot just 18.2 percent (4-for-22) and the Jazz outscored the Rockets 27-11.

"They came out ready for us," Adelman said.

"We made a game of it at halftime thanks to Tracy (McGrady), who was just unbelievable," he added. "Then they took control. You've got to give them credit. Their better players stepped up; Williams was terrific."

NOTES: Game 2 in the Jazz-Lakers series will be played Tuesday in Los Angeles, with Game 3 on Friday in Utah and Game 4 on May 11 at home ... Rockets starting point guard Rafer Alston left with four minutes and 55 seconds remaining in the second quarter due to a badly sprained right ankle and didn't return. He turned the ankle after driving the lane and coming down on Kirilenko's foot. X-rays were negative; an MRI exam is planned for today ... Brewer played 22 minutes despite a sore right hamstring that was sustained in Tuesday's Game 5 and that prevented him from practicing Thursday ... Jazz second-round home playoff tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Monday at the EnergySolutions Arena box office, all Ticketmaster locations, and on-line at utahjazz.com or ticketmaster.com.

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