SALT LAKE CITY — Tracy McGrady snapped out of his fourth-quarter slump and scored seven of his 27 points in the final period to lead Houston to a 94-92 victory over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night, giving the Rockets life in a series that could have been headed for a sweep.
Rafer Alston added 20 points and five assists in his first game in nearly two weeks as Houston avoided falling behind 3-0 in the series by beating the team that had the best home record in the NBA during the regular season. Game 4 is Saturday in Salt Lake City, where the Jazz was 37-4 this season.
Carl Landry had 11 rebounds and blocked Deron Williams’ shot that could have won it for the Jazz just before the buzzer.
Williams had 28 points and 12 assists.
Wizards 108, Cavaliers 72
WASHINGTON — The Wizards parlayed two 9-0 runs in the first half into a 49-33 lead at halftime, and Cleveland never threatened to make a game of it in the second half.
One game after setting a franchise playoff record with a 30-point win in Game 2, Cleveland set another team postseason mark by losing by 36. The Cavaliers lead the series 2-1.
“It was a good, old-fashioned behind-kicking,” Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said.
The margin of victory also set a Wizards franchise playoff record.
The one major issue for the Wizards is Gilbert Arenas, who started for the first time since November but injured his surgically repaired left knee.
He walked off the court late in the first half with an obvious limp and a bone bruise. He is listed as day to day.
Raptors 108, Magic 94
TORONTO — T.J. Ford scored 21 points, Jose Calderon had 18 points and 13 assists, and Toronto led by as many as 23 en route to winning Game 3.
“The game was pretty well decided at halftime,” Raptors coach Stan Van Gundy said.
The Raptors finished 12-for-34 from 3-point range and set playoff highs for points in a game and a half (61).
Dwight Howard had 19 points and 12 rebounds for Orlando, which leads the series 2-1.
