HOUSTON — Maybe the Jazz are just too nervous in the playoffs.

Maybe they're not experienced enough.

If you ask Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, it's probably a dose of both.

In either case, the Jazz's streak of third-quarter letdowns now stands at two. So does their losing streak. They remain winless in their best-of-seven series with Houston, thanks largely to problems in the middle of the game.

Which is understandable, in a way.

Isn't it around the middle where we all start showing our flaws?

For the second straight playoff game, the Jazz held together just long enough for the halftime rest. By the time they recovered, the second half had commenced and it was too late. Houston has outscored the Jazz 54-32 in the third quarters so far in the playoffs. In both games they led at half by nine on Saturday and two on Monday.

Maybe they should just skip the middle and go straight to the finish.

"We've just got to come out at half and put our foot on the gas pedal," said forward Matt Harpring.

While the Jazz began Saturday's game disastrously, missing their first six shots, they got an encouraging start in Game 2. Or at least Carlos Boozer did, scoring the Jazz's first 10 points and 15 of the first 17 in Monday's 98-90 loss.

He was having, well, a Tracy McGrady-type night. Fortunately for the Jazz, McGrady wasn't — at least early on. Though he did finish the first half with 11 points, he closed it out by missing a 3-pointer that would have given the Rockets the halftime lead.

He was just 5-of-16 from the field in the first 24 minutes.

Still, it wasn't as though the Jazz were in control. Though they did lead by as many as nine points in the first half, it seemed apparent that it could end quickly. And it did. After building that early lead, the Rockets came back to tie at 39.

In that aspect, it looked like same as Saturday night but more of it.

McGrady got rolling with 12 third-quarter points and the Rockets went to the free-throw line for 14 shots, making 13.

"We put them on the free-throw line. You've got do you best to keep them off the free-throw line," said Sloan.

While the Jazz struggled with McGrady-type problems again, forward Andrei Kirilenko got another chance, after a weekend of upheaval when he told the media he was dissatisfied with his playing time. Kirilenko did play nearly 10 minutes in the first half on Monday, but had to leave when he drew his third personal foul. He ended up with no points and three rebounds for the game. One thing seems clear: He isn't going to be able to resolve his differences with Jerry Sloan overnight.