Rockets 94 - 101 Jazz
Final
  for this game

Surging Jazz try to make it nine in a row

Mar 4, 2009 - 11:22 AM Houston (39-22) at Utah (37-23) 9:00 p.m. EST

SALT LAKE CITY (Ticker) -- The Utah Jazz officially have their eyes on the playoffs. It's only fitting that they continue their second-half climb up the standings on Wednesday against the team they've ousted from the postseason each of the last two years.

Riding an eight-game winning streak, the Jazz return home to face off against one of their oldest rivals, the Houston Rockets, as they look to gain more ground in both the divisional and conference standings.

Utah has been red-hot since the beginning of February, with its lineup bolstered by the recent returns of forwards Andrei Kirilenko and Carlos Boozer and the continually brilliant play of fourth-year point guard Deron Williams. He averaged 23.2 points and 10.9 assists in February and continued his strong play on Monday, dishing out a season-high 20 assists in a road victory over Golden State.

The team's two-game homestand is pivotal. First, the Jazz face the Rockets, who lead them by 1 1/2 games for the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference. Two days later, they host the Denver Nuggets (39-22), the team they are chasing in the Northwest as they go for their third straight division title.

The Rockets, meanwhile, have been on a hot streak of their own - doing all their damage without star swingman Tracy McGrady, who is out for the season with a knee injury that required microfracture surgery. They have won eight of nine since T-Mac went down.






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