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Posted: 8:52 AM- After staying alive in Game 3 of its first-round playoff series against the Jazz, Houston hopes to regain the upper hand tonight at EnergySolutions Arena.

The Rockets, exuding confidence after their 94-92 victory on Thursday night, still trail in the series, 2-1. But another victory sends them home in what becomes a best-of-three, with Houston reclaiming homecourt advantage.

"I think we got better -- the overall execution," said coach Rick Adelman, referring to Game 3. "... But we know we're going to have to be better [Saturday] because we know they are going to come out with a lot of energy. It's really important we maintain our mental discipline and not allow them to get up on us."

Houston worked a walk-it-up, milk-the-shot clock strategy to perfection in Game 3, especially in the first half, when Utah shot 39.5 percent and the Rockets led by as many as eight points.

"We defended them well," said Adelman. "We made mistakes and stuff but, because of our activity, we were able to make up for it. I thought we were better offensively, too. We had better movement. We had more variety on what we were trying to do."

Including the regular season, the Jazz are 37-5 at home. But Houston has administered two of those defeats, leaving the Rockets hopeful heading into Game 4.

"Playoff basketball is about adjustments and improvement," said Shane Battier. "It's something coach Adelman has preached to us: 'Let's get better every quarter. Let's get better every game.' We played poorly in Game 1. We played a subpar game in Game 2 but we could have won. Then we finally put it together. But we still made a lot of mistakes. There are a lot of things we can improve. So that's the encouraging news."

The Rockets' health also continues to improve.

Point guard Rafer Alston missed the first two games of the series with a pulled hamstring, but he scored 20 points in Game 3. Rookie power forward Carl Landry, who missed seven games in late March because of a knee injury and has struggled, also stepped up.

A non-factor in the first two games of the series, Landry finished with seven points and 11 rebounds. He also blocked two shots, including Deron Williams' attempted game-winner in the final seconds.

"It was a real good start on our part," said Tracy McGrady, who scored 27 points. "From the first game to [Thursday] night, we've been making dramatic improvement on each end of the court. [In Game 3] we kept our composure and kept our poise and came out with a victory."

McGrady believes the Rockets' ability to stay close in the Jazz-dominated third quarter was the difference in the game.

"We just stuck with our game plan," he said. "Although they had a lead, it never got larger than six points and that really says a lot about how we played defense because this team is confident and comfortable in their own building and they can put up a lot of points. We didn't allow them to get the crowd into it ... and stayed within striking distance."

Asked if the Rockets put some doubt into the Jazz's mind with their win in Game 3, Landry laughed and said, "I doubt it. They'll be ready to play. We've got to be ready."

Said Battier: "We knew we were going back to Houston after Game 4. We just didn't know if the Jazz would be joining us. It's good to know they will be coming to Houston for Game 5. Now, we want to try and make sure we come back here for Game 6."

Game 5 of the series is scheduled for Tuesday night. A Rockets' win tonight means Game 6 will be played in Salt Lake City on Friday.