A.K. shows up looking much more energetic

His stat line was not any better, really, than it was in the first two games of the series.

Yet after he finished with no credited blocks, one steal, two points and three rebounds in the Jazz's 81-67 Game 3 first-round playoff win over the Houston Rockets on Thursday night, consensus in the Jazz locker room seemed to be that Russian forward Andrei Kirilenko was back.

"Andrei played better," teammate Matt Harpring said, "and hopefully he can build on this and just keep playing. You know, we need him. There's no question."

Kirilenko was so frustrated by his play and reduced role in last Saturday's Game 1 that he broke down in tears following practice Sunday in Houston.

Since then, teammates have done all they can to let him know just how much he really is needed if the Jazz are to have any chance whatsoever of beating the Rockets.

"We talk to him a lot," Harpring said. "We just encourage him to keep going, and just play."

Back in Utah on Thursday, Kirilenko did just that. He helped guard Rockets star Tracy McGrady, and used his energy to help teammates jack up their level of play.

"I was trying to bring everything I can," Kirilenko said. "Again, I don't really care about stat sheet.

"I'm happy that everybody was on the same page tonight," he added. "Everybody was running, helping defensively — and it worked a lot."

While teammates fed off him, Kirilenko suggested he fed off the sold-out EnergySolutions Arena crowd announced at 19,911.

"You lose the ball, they're still supporting you," he said of Jazz fans. "This is important."

BETTER DEFENSE: McGrady lauded the Jazz for their defense on him and the Rockets, which helped limit Houston's All-Star to just eight second-half points.

Kirilenko, Gordan Giricek and Derek Fisher all took their turns.

"They did a better job on the pick-and-rolls," McGrady said. "They blitzed me to get the ball out of my hands. On my post-ups, they sent an extra guy. They switched their defense in the second half."

HE SAID IT: Kirilenko, on wife Masha's suggestion that an interpreter might help the forward from Russia communicate better with coach Jerry Sloan: "I don't want to talk about it, because I don't want to blame anybody. It's not a blame situation. I don't think it's somebody's fault. It's just how it goes this season."

MISC.: Houston's 67 points were three better than the Jazz's previous playoff opponent low of 64 by Portland in 1996 ... Jazz swingman C.J. Miles was inactive for a third straight playoff game ... Deceased basketball great Pistol Pete Maravich, whose Jazz number is retired by the franchise, will be featured Saturday on a CBS show about the college game's 10 greatest shooters. The program airs at noon locally.

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E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com