Methodical Rockets Put Suns on Brink : NBA playoffs: Houston opens 21-point halftime lead en route to 109-86 victory and 3-2 series lead.

The team from “Choke City” didn’t gag this time.

Houston, dominating from the opening tip, opened a 21-point halftime lead and poured it on in the second half Tuesday for an easy 109-86 victory over the Phoenix Suns, giving the Rockets a 3-2 lead in the series.

It was the first victory for a home team in the series, and it was nothing like the last game in the Summit -- the Rockets’ Game 2 loss in which they blew a 20-point fourth-quarter lead.

That dreadful performance inspired Houston headline writers to plaster “Choke City” across the front pages of the local papers.

“It may have been a blessing in disguise when we lost the first two games,” said center Hakeem Olajuwon. “We forced ourselves to come back together as a team.”

Olajuwon and Otis Thorpe each scored 20 points and Kenny Smith had 16 for Houston, which finally shut down Kevin Johnson and won its third straight game.

“We dug that big hole for ourselves and it could have been over and it would have been a horrible summer,” Rocket Coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. “We took it from the opening tip and they just kept going at it and going at it.”

The Rockets had a pair of early 9-0 spurts, the second of which gave them a 27-13 lead in the first quarter. They didn’t let up in the second period, opening the quarter with a 10-1 run en route to a 58-37 halftime lead.

“That wasn’t our team out there tonight,” Phoenix Coach Paul Westphal said. “That’s one of the worst games we played all season and we know we have to play better and we’re going to do it.”

The Rockets were running and hitting from inside and outside, and the Suns just couldn’t keep pace.

Charles Barkley, stretching his aching back during timeouts, scored 20 first-half points. He finished with 30 and sat out much of the fourth quarter.

“They played with a lot of emotion and energy,” Barkley said. “They jumped on us and we were never able to recover. I don’t ever worry about a basketball game. That’s my job, not my life.”

Johnson, who scored 38 points in each of the two previous games, cooled off with 10 points. “We have to applaud the Rockets,” Johnson said. “They put forth a great effort. I’m very embarrassed but we’re fortunate that we still have a chance to win.”

All the news wasn’t positive for Houston, however. Vernon Maxwell had to sit out briefly with a wrist injury.