HOUSTON — Tracy McGrady does not want to go to Salt Lake City down 0-2.

So when asked specifically about the meaning of tonight's Game 2 here between Houston and Utah, the Rockets' All-Star did not quibble with the question.

"Absolutely," McGrady said Sunday. "This is a must-win, because it's tough to win in Utah."

Stronger yet, though, may be the weight on McGrady after he produced just 20 points and shot only 7-of-21 from the field — including a scoreless fourth quarter in which he missed all three shots he took — during the Jazz's Game 1 victory Saturday night.

All-Star center Yao Ming is sidelined for the postseason.

Starting point guard Rafer Alston is still out with a hamstring injury.

Houston's complementary cast is a collection of journeymen, rookies and role players.

All eyes tonight, then, will be watching to see if McGrady can conjure a way for the Rockets to emerge from an 0-1 hole in the first-round, best-of-seven NBA playoff series.

"Tracy is our playmaker," small forward Shane Battier said.

"He's gonna get people the ball. And we don't have too many playmakers on this team. So he usually makes the right decision.

"So if he has to go out and score 40 for us to win, he'll do it," added Battier, perhaps remembering McGrady's 47-point performance when Houston beat Utah in the Jazz's home-opener this season. "If he has to go and dish 15 assists, he'll do it."

If only it were so simple, the Jazz might not be as up as they are. Instead, Utah flustered McGrady on Saturday.

He was blanketed, and — save for Battier, who shot 7-for-7 and scored a game-high 22 — those left uncovered failed to adequately produce.

Fill-in point guard Bobby Jackson shot just 3-of-15. Backup Aaron Brooks was 1-for-7. Houston's benched mustered only 17 points from seven players, and the Rockets — who shot only 36.7 percent from the field — were outscored 50-40 in the paint.

"You're gonna have a lot of open shots when they double-team me," said McGrady, who also shot just 7-for-21 when Utah beat Houston last Monday in a rather meaningful game during the regular season's final week.

"We've just got to knock those shots down out on the perimeter.

"Our big guys have got the finish at the basket," he added. "And that's it. We had a lot of open shots that we missed."

Even if the Jazz didn't want to admit it, McGrady's disappointment was evident.

Body language spoke volumes Saturday; words Sunday were even louder.