Roundup | Raptors roll over Magic for 108-94 win

SALT LAKE CITY — Tracy McGrady snapped out of his fourth-quarter slump and scored seven of his 27 points in the final period, leading Houston to a 94-92 victory over Utah on Thursday night that gave 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 back in Utah, 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.

Carlos Boozer had 15 points and 13 rebounds, and Mehmet Okur scored 12 and pulled down 11 boards for the Jazz, whose poor free-throw shooting caught up with it in the fourth quarter when McGrady started scoring.

The Jazz went 20 for 33 from the foul line, getting 11 more chances than Houston (16 for 22).

At Raptors 108, Magic 94

T.J. Ford scored 21 points, Jose Calderon had 18 points and 13 assists, and Toronto beat Orlando, cutting the Magic's lead to 2-1 in their first-round playoff series.

"That was the most important game of the season so far, and we played like it," Chris Bosh said. "We stepped up to the challenge."

Ford shot 2 for 17 in the first two games of the series, but looked confident and comfortable in this one, splitting time almost equally with Calderon.

Dwight Howard had 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Magic, while Hedo Turkoglu added 26 points and former Sonic Rashard Lewis scored 19.

"Right from the get-go, the Raptors were outstanding," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "Their point-guard play was phenomenal and probably the key to the game for them."

Jamario Moon had 11 points and 10 rebounds in his return to the starting lineup for Toronto, while Bosh and Jason Kapono each scored 15 points and Anthony Parker 10.

The Raptors finished 12 for 34 from three-point range and set playoff highs for points in a game and a half (61).

Keith Bogans scored 12 for the Magic, who trailed by as many as 23.

Notes

• Larry Brown resigned as Philadelphia's executive vice president with the intent to pursue a coaching job at the NBA or college level. He hasn't coached since a bitter split with the Knicks and then-team president Isiah Thomas after one dismal season in New York in 2005-06.

• Sacramento F Ron Artest had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb. He could return to playing basketball in eight to 10 weeks.

• Darell Garretson, the longtime NBA referee who also directed the league's officiating staff, has died. He was 76. The National Basketball Referees Association said Wednesday that Garretson died Monday at his Mesa home. The union said Garretson's health had been in decline following surgery and various illnesses.