From Deseret News archives:
Rockets' no-names handle Jazz
They also picked up a back-to-back curse somewhere along the line.
After fighting back from a sputtering start and multiple double-digit deficits to trail by just five points with 50 seconds to play, the Jazz were left in the Rockets' fumes down the stretch of a 108-99 loss at the Toyota Center.
This latest defeat, which came a night after beating Minnesota at home and then arriving at their Houston hotel at about 3 a.m., dropped Utah to 25-18 overall and to a painful 1-8 on the tail end of games on consecutive days.
The scheduling wasn't the only problem for Utah. Neither was 7-foot-6 center Yao Ming, who had a relatively quiet night with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
A lack of energy early on certainly didn't help the Jazz. But what really hurt were huge contributions — not from Tracy McGrady or Ron Artest. They were out with injuries. It was the three anonymous amigos that really created havoc for the Jazz.
Rafer Alston scored 23 points, Von Wafer added 21 points after not even getting off the bench against the Jazz in their last meeting, and Luis Scola chipped in with 19 points.
The combination of the back-to-back struggles and that unlikely triple threat — not to mention not having injured Andrei Kirilenko's services — proved too much for the Jazz.
Wafer had 12 points in the critical first quarter when Houston (27-16) seized a 31-19 lead.
"The disappointing part is the way we started the game," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. "You have to believe you can win as soon as you get between the lines out there."
Led by Deron Williams' huge 32-point, 11-assist night and strong contributions from Ronnie Brewer (23 points) and foul-plagued Paul Millsap (20 points, 12 rebounds), Utah chipped into the lead in a game-long catch-up attempt.
They got within three points with under three minutes remaining, but Houston hit 10 straight free throws in the final 50 seconds to clinch a second win over the Jazz this season.
Incidentally, the Rockets' last win over Utah also came on the second game of a back-to-back set for the Jazz.
"It's just tough when you get down to a good team to come back, especially on the road," Williams said. "You can use excuses, but we didn't have the energy we needed."
That's what's going to stick in Sloan's craw. Utah rotated too slowly after doubling on Ming, leaving guys wide open for multiple 3-pointers in the first half.
Houston whipped the ball around the perimeter and drilled 8 of 14 treys in the first half, including three by sharpshooter Brent Barry and another three from Alston.
