In game one of the season series, Utah knocked off Houston 107-97 on Opening Night in Salt Lake City. Carlos Boozer put together a huge effort for the Jazz with 24 points and nineteen rebounds, while Deron Williams added eighteen points and ten assists. Tracy McGrady led the Rockets with 25 points and nine assists, while Yao Ming chipped in 22 points and nine boards.

The Rockets answered their opening night loss to the Jazz with a 100-86 victory over the Jazz. Tracy McGrady hit on all cylinders as he tallied 44 points while Dikembe Mutombo cleaned the glass with 19 rebounds on the night. The Jazz were led by Deron Williams with 19 points and eight assists and Carlos Boozer added 17 rebounds and 15 assists.

Utah stunned the Rockets 86-83 at the Toyota Center on Sunday, April 4. Mehmet Okur scored 20 points and Carlos Boozer added 13 in the win, which broke a six-game road losing streak. Yao Ming chipped in 35 points and Tracy McGrady added 20 points.

Staying healthy had been a key to Houston’s success, however disaster struck as McGrady went out of the lineup with back spasms in mid-December and Yao suffered a fractured bone just below his knee just before Christmas and did not return to the lineup until late February. Last season’s woes for Jeff Van Gundy’s team were directly related to injuries, as they were without McGrady for thirty-five games and Yao for twenty-five. That resulted in a 34-48 record for the Rockets.

One area where the Rockets have already shown major improvement is their in-division record, where they won four of their first six games. Last season, Houston won just one game out of sixteen against their Southwest Division foes.