But the lesson Kirk Snyder learned Monday night is a simple one: If you give the Rockets too much fuel, expect an explosion.

Snyder turned his most spectacular game as a pro into an outing he ended up regretting. After leading the Jazz back from a 16-point deficit Monday, Snyder's big rally suddenly fizzled when the Utah rookie taunted the Rockets' bench after a dunk.

Houston's coaches went berserk. Snyder was yanked from the game. Jerry Sloan loudly reprimanded the rookie.

And the Jazz's momentum was history.

The Rockets went on a 21-6 run from that point, ultimately coasting to a 99-85 victory over the Jazz behind Tracy McGrady's 44 points.

"You never want to lose a ballgame, but there are some things that you just don't do," said Sloan, still seething after the game. "I don't want to see a situation that could end up [in a riot] like Indiana-Detroit. . . . Their coaches were upset, their team was upset and it could very easy turn into something crazy."

McGrady's night was crazy enough by that time. The Rockets' forward, last season's NBA scoring champion, outscored Utah by himself in the second quarter, 22-20, and had 30 points by halftime. But once the Jazz fell behind by 16, 66-50, in the third quarter, Snyder helped bring them back.

He blocked shots. He made fast-break passes. He finished plays, too, scoring 12 points. "He was playing very well," Sloan said.

But the last of his baskets, a loose ball that he corralled in the corner, then darted past Dikembe Mutombo for a layup and a foul to cap a 16-2 Jazz run, got him in trouble. The momentum of the play carried him toward the visitors' bench, and Snyder kept going. When he got there, he stuck out his tongue and mugged in front of the Rockets, prompting head coach Jeff Van Gundy and assistant Steve Clifford to scream at him and the referees.

"I was looking at somebody in the second row, I didn't know where I was on the floor. I looked down and the coach was right there," Snyder said. "I was in bad territory. I wasn't supposed to be over there."

Van Gundy was given a technical foul, and the free throw cut Houston's lead to just two, 68-66.

Sloan was livid at his rookie, and quickly replaced Snyder with Gordan Giricek.

"What if someone jumped up and popped him?" Sloan said. "That's a no-no in this league. You're lucky something crazy didn't happen. [The Rockets] were very upset, rightfully so. That's how you get things started in basketball that shouldn't happen."

Sloan motioned to Van Gundy that he didn't approve, and laid into Snyder on the bench.

It certainly seemed to change the momentum. Houston outscored the Jazz 8-2 the rest of the quarter, and opened the fourth quarter with a 13-4 run that put the Jazz away.McGrady made 15 of his 21 shots, and along with Yao Ming's 7-for-11 night, helped Houston shoot 53 percent on the night.

"He got off to an unbelievable start," Sloan said. "We tried to double-team him right off the bat, and we didn't have much luck. He came at us just as hard as he could."

Too bad Snyder did, too.

Storylines

IN SHORT - Without anyone to guard Tracy McGrady, Utah falls to the Rockets in a game marred by an incident between Kirk Snyder and Houston's bench.

KEY STAT - Tracy McGrady scores 44 points.

KEY MOMENT - Kirk Snyder helps Utah cut Houston's lead to two, but is yanked after jawing in front of Houston's bench, and the Jazz never get any closer.

ROCKETS 99

JAZZ 85

FG FT Reb

HOUSTON Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts

McGrady 38 15-21 11-16 0-6 4 2 44

Wthrspoon 20 0-3 2-4 2-4 2 1 2

Yao 29 7-11 1-1 0-4 0 3 15

Sura 22 1-2 1-1 0-1 3 1 3

Wesley 28 4-8 3-4 0-1 2 3 11

James 26 4-10 8-10 3-7 5 1 16

Bowen 11 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 3 0

Padgett 21 0-4 0-0 0-3 0 0 0

Mutombo 19 0-0 1-2 2-5 0 5 1

Barry 26 3-5 0-0 1-2 1 1 7

Totals 240 34-64 27-38 8-33 17 20 99

Percentages: FG .531, FT .711. Three-Point Goals: 4-14, .286 (McGrady 3-6, Barry 1-2, Wesley 0-1, James 0-2, Padgett 0-3). Team Rebounds: 9. Team Turnovers: 12 (15 PTS). Blocked Shots: 5 (Yao 3, Weatherspoon, McGrady). Turnovers: 12 (Yao 4, Sura 3, Wesley 2, Padgett 2, Mutombo). Steals: 10 (McGrady 5, Wesley, Barry, Bowen, Mutombo, James). Technical Fouls: Coach Van Gundy, 3:24 third.

FG FT Reb

UTAH Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts

Harpring 37 8-12 2-2 1-9 1 4 18

Okur 37 8-12 9-10 3-6 0 2 25

Collins 14 1-3 0-0 0-3 0 4 2

McLeod 32 0-5 4-4 0-0 9 3 4

Snyder 30 5-11 2-3 1-4 2 5 12

Handlogten 5 0-0 0-0 1-2 1 2 0

Giricek 20 2-7 0-0 2-3 1 1 4

Bell 26 3-10 1-1 1-3 1 3 7

Humphries 18 3-6 0-2 1-4 1 1 6

Eisley 16 3-3 0-0 0-1 4 2 7

Borchardt 5 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Totals 240 33-69 18-22 10-35 20 27 85

Percentages: FG .478, FT .818. Three-Point Goals: 1-8, .125 (Eisley 1-1, Okur 0-1, McLeod 0-1, Snyder 0-2, Bell 0-3). Team Rebounds: 4. Team Turnovers: 18 (25 PTS). Blocked Shots: 3 (Snyder 2, Bell). Turnovers: 18 (Humphries 3, Okur 3, Snyder 3, McLeod 3, Bell 2, Collins, Harpring, Giricek, Eisley). Steals: 5 (Okur 2, McLeod 2, Humphries). Technical Fouls: Defensive Three Second, 6:36 fourth.

Houston 24 32 20 23 -99

Utah 22 20 26 17 -85

A - 17,136 (19,911). T - 2:09. Officials: Jack Nies, Scott Foster, Mark Ayotte.