As it turned out, the Jazz needed just one game to reclaim home-court advantage in their first-round playoff rematch against the Rockets. The Jazz's 93-82 victory over Houston just might have spelled doom for Tracy McGrady and Co. this series.

To advance, the Rockets will need to win at least one game at EnergySolutions Arena, where the Jazz were an NBA-best 37-4 this season. Not even Roger Clemens' attorney, Rustin Hardin, who was seated courtside, might be able to get Houston out of this mess.

Andrei Kirilenko led the Jazz with 21 points and helped slow McGrady, who scored 20 points but made just 7 of 21 shots. Carlos Boozer added 20 points and 16 rebounds while Deron Williams had 20 points and 10 assists despite his bruised backside.

"We're definitely happy to come in and get the first one," Williams said. "That was our goal to come in and steal one early, but we want to try and get two. It's going to be tough, we know they're going to be ready, but we feel like we can do it."

The Jazz had to overcome a 2-0 series deficit to advance last year, but this time the Rockets will face the uphill climb. The team that takes the opener has gone on to win 78.2 percent of best-of-seven series in NBA history. Game 2 is Monday.

With 8:29 left in the third quarter, however, it was hard to imagine the Jazz would be in for an easy night. They trailed 53-51, having watched a 13-point first-half lead evaporate as McGrady got in rhythm.

The Rockets star opened the second half attacking the basket and feeding Luis Scola on the fast break. Boozer scored six straight points to put the Jazz back in front but headed to the bench with his fourth foul, followed by Paul Millsap in short order.

"We definitely want those guys in at all times," Williams said, "but we had guys come in and step up."

The Jazz pulled away as Kirilenko drilled a 22-footer, Scola was called for his third and fourth fouls - the latter as he tried to draw a charge on Mehmet Okur - and Kyle Korver knocked down two three-pointers as Utah took a 68-60 lead into the fourth quarter.

To start the fourth, Kirilenko spun for a basket in the post and Williams buried a three-pointer to give the Jazz a 75-63 lead. After Boozer followed up the second of Matt Harpring's two missed free throws and drove for a layup, the Jazz had a 15-point cushion.

Despite a shaky first quarter at times, the Jazz led 23-18 largely because of their 12-5 rebounding edge. At one point early in the second quarter, the Jazz had hauled in 17 of the game's first 22 rebounds.

Two minutes into the second quarter, the Jazz had built a double-digit lead. They got outstanding play from their bench as Harpring hit a jumper, Ronnie Price connected on a three-pointer and Korver cut for a basket to make it 30-20.

It was Millsap, however, who brought the bench to its feet. Millsap twice blocked Dikembe Mutombo, the NBA's No. 2 all-time shot blocker, and scored six points in no small part because of the five rebounds he grabbed.

The Jazz led by as many as 13 in the quarter, but the Rockets sliced the lead in half to go into the locker room down 47-41. McGrady hit a three-pointer late in the half and the Jazz began to double-team him more and more aggressively.

After beating San Antonio, New Orleans, Denver and Houston in the last two weeks of the regular season, the Jazz were able to carry that momentum into the playoffs.

"We definitely played better down the stretch this season than we did last year," Boozer said, "and that gave us some confidence especially going into the playoffs. For us, we have to ride that momentum out and be ready to play on Monday."