Houston are ahead in the Western Conference Finals 2-0. They showed who was the better team tonight with a convincing 113-94 win over Utah. Although not exactly a blowout, Houston coach Bob and his players outplayed Utah from start to end. "I was hoping for a better outcome," said Utah coach Coach Young during a post-game interview. "But they just overpowered us, and there was nothing we could do to adjust. Bob's team was more talented and better-prepared, and it would have taken quite a bit of luck for us to overcome that."

The loss was tough on Utah fans, who had expected great things from their team after some offseason moves. "I think reality is starting to sink in," said one team. "We didn't expect to see other teams outplaying us this badly, but Houston sure made their point."

Houston was led by Thompson (12 points, 20 boards, 2 assists, 3 blocks), Sims (17 points, 4 blocks), Smith (14 points, 10 boards, 0 assists, 2 blocks). Utah was led by Perkins (24 points, 2 assists, a steal, 2 blocks), Robinson (24 points, 0 assists, a steal, 3 blocks), Hill (10 points, 10 boards, 3 assists, a steal, 4 blocks).

box score Houston roster Utah* roster