The AP reports: No matter who’s in the lineup, no matter when they meet during the season, the Houston Rockets always expect a tough game against the Utah Jazz. Yao Ming had 19 points and 12 rebounds, Rafer Alston scored 23 and the Rockets built a big lead, then hung on to beat the Jazz 108-99 on Wednesday night. Deron Williams had 32 points and 11 assists and Ronnie Brewer had 23 points for the Jazz, who’ve dropped seven of their past 10 road games. Andrei Kirilenko sat out for Utah after leaving Tuesday’s game against Minnesota with a right ankle injury… “It’s really hard for them to give up,” said Luis Scola, who had 19 points and nine rebounds for Houston. “That pretty much guarantees it’s going to be a close game.”
