"I thought it would be smart if I took this game off, but Mac didn't play," Artest said. "You think about the team, you think about winning and how you can help. That's what leads to, 'I'm playing."'

Good thing for Houston he did.

In other NBA games, it was: Hawks 129, Bulls 117; Pistons 87, Bucks 76; Trail Blazers 102, Raptors 89; Magic 118, Timberwolves 94; Nets 114, Bobcats 103, OT; Spurs 106, Grizzlies 103, 2OT; and Wizards 104, Thunder 95.

The game was tied at 96 at the end of the regulation, and at 101 after the first overtime.

Artest went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the first minute of the second extra period to give the Rockets a 105-101 lead. On Houston's next trip, Luis Scola cut inside for a layup, was fouled by Kyrylo Fesenko and finished the three-point play to put Houston up 108-102.

Kyle Korver sank a 3-pointer before Artest scored in the lane to put the Rockets up 110-105. The Jazz got no closer than five after that, and the crowd started chanting Artest's name before he made two free throws with 1:14 left to stretch the Rockets' lead to 114-107.

"That's what we brought him to this team to do," said point guard Rafer Alston, "to help close out games and to really be himself. Tonight, he was Ron."

The Jazz are dealing with their own injury issues - Boozer has been out since November 21 with a strained left quad, Okur has missed three straight games with back spasms and Millsap sat out the second straight game with a sprained left knee.

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