With Yao Ming sidelined by a sore foot, Dikembe Mutombo scored 10 points with 15 rebounds as the Houston Rockets beat Golden State 113-109 in a National Basketball Association contest.
Luis Scola added a career-high 28 points for the Rockets, who kept their tenuous grasp on the third seed in the Western Conference.
Mutombo, 42, made a rare start after Yao was scratched from the lineup shortly before the game.
PHOTO : REUTERS
Yao played in the Rockets’ victory over Sacramento on Thursday and took part in pre-game warm-ups on Friday but was kept out of the game after complaining of pain in his right foot.
The Houston Chronicle reported that Yao felt the discomfort during Tuesday’s game against Orlando, but X-rays indicated there was no bone damage.
“The doctor checked it already,” Yao said. “In two days, it will be fine. It’s not bad. We want to stop it before it gets bad. In the Orlando game it got sore. I played last game, but today it was sore.”
PHOTO : AP
Yao missed 35 games last season with a stress fracture in his other foot.
“Anytime you have anything come up like that, especially at this time of the year, I’m concerned,” Rockets coach Rick Adelman told the Chronicle. “He’s had problems with his feet. So we’re hoping it’s something that will just be a one-game thing and he’ll be back on Monday.”
Mutombo had played in just eight games this season but produced the 471st double-double of his 17-year NBA career.
Ron Artest added 19 points and six assists for the Rockets, who remained one half-game in front of Portland and San Antonio for the third seed.
The Rockets have won four straight games and close the regular season with a home game against New Orleans tomorrow and at Dallas on Wednesday.
TRAIL BLAZERS 106, LAKERS 98
At Portland, Brandon Roy scored 24 points with eight assists on Friday as Portland defeated Los Angeles, leaving them one game below the league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers.
Kobe Bryant scored 32 points for Los Angeles, but missed a key three-pointer. The reigning NBA Most Valuable Player also made a crucial turnover and missed a jump shot in the final minute.
The Trail Blazers notched their eighth straight victory over Los Angeles in Portland.
“Even when we’re having championship runs, we usually come up here and get our butts kicked,” Bryant said. “They play us tough here.”
Lakers coach Phil Jackson didn’t travel with the team because of pain in his lower right leg.
Assistant Kurt Rambis stood in for the 63-year-old Jackson. The Hall of Famer was set to rejoin the team for practice yesterday and wasn’t expected to miss any more games.
Portland remained tied with San Antonio as they vie for home court advantage in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
The Blazers beat the Spurs on Wednesday and if they finish with matching records Portland will hold the tiebreaker because they won the season series.
PISTONS 100, NETS 93
At Auburn Hills, Michigan, the home team secured a postseason berth with a 100-93 victory over New Jersey.
Will Bynum scored 20 points and Rasheed Wallace chipped in 15 as the Pistons booked a return trip to the playoffs for the eighth straight year.
“We’re getting better and better every game,” said reserve guard Bynum, who provided part of the 46-point contribution from the Pistons bench. “They said that whichever team is playing the best going into the playoffs is pretty dangerous. Hopefully, we can be that team.”
The Pistons improved to 39-40 and still must win two of their final three games to finish with a .500 record.
“We’ve been through some rough times and struggled this year,” first-year coach Michael Curry said. “We need to take some of the things we’ve learned and use them in the playoffs. We’re still going to be in there — just not with the kind of seed we’re used to having.”
Detroit never trailed and led by as many as 19 in the first half. They led 54-38 at halftime.
“The second unit really stepped it up,” Arron Afflalo said. “Will was great, but we were all getting stops and that’s how we built up the lead.”
Nets coach Lawrence Frank went with a youthful lineup for much of the game. Rookie Ryan Anderson led the Nets with 20 points and fellow first-year players Chris Douglas-Roberts and Brook Lopez added 16 apiece.
CAVALIERS 102, 76ERS 92
In Philadelphia, Cleveland clinched the No. 1 playoff seed and home-court advantage in the NBA’s Eastern Conference playoffs by beating the home squad.
LeBron James had 27 points and 10 assists and Wally Szczerbiak scored a season-high 18 for the Cavaliers. Their homecourt advantage in the playoffs is significant given their record there this season is 38-1.
The Sixers have lost four straight since clinching a playoff berth.
CELTICS 105, HEAT 98
In Boston, Paul Pierce scored 21 of his 28 points in the second half, including the go-ahead late free throws, to lead Boston over Miami.
The Heat tied the game 95-95 with just under two minutes left, but Boston scored the next eight points to pull away.
SPURS 105, JAZZ 99
In San Antonio, Texas, the hosts won to bury Utah further back in the playoff race.
The Jazz have lost five of six and slipped closer to having to face the dominant Lakers in the first round. Utah has just three games left to climb out of the No. 8 seed and secure a more favorable matchup.
Utah has not won in San Antonio since 1999, a streak spanning 23 games.
Tony Parker scored 31 points for the Spurs.
MAVERICKS 100, HORNETS 92
In Dallas, the hosts beat New Orleans, leaving the teams tied for sixth seed in the West.
The two teams will meet again today in New Orelans.
Josh Howard and Dirk Nowitzki each scored 25 points and the Mavericks won their third straight, holding off a late rally led by Chris Paul. Paul had 42 points, one shy of his career high, with nine rebounds and seven assists.
KNICKS 105, MAGIC 95
In Orlando, Florida, New York dealt a crushing blow to Orlando’s hopes of getting the Eastern Conference’s second seed.
Al Harrington scored 27 points and Wilson Chandler had 22 to help the Knicks avoid a season sweep by the Magic, who won the first three games against New York this season.
Orlando fell two games behind Boston for the East’s No. 2 spot.
With three games left and Boston owning the tiebreaker, the Magic are likely to finish with the third seed.
HAWKS 122, PACERS 118
In Atlanta, Georgia, the home side edged Indiana to clinch fourth spot in the Eastern Conference.
Josh Smith scored 30 points and Joe Johnson had 24 as the Hawks earned home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Indiana was eliminated from playoff contention.
GRIZZLIES 106, SUNS 89
In Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis snapped a 10-game losing streak by beating Phoenix.
Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo scored 20 points apiece for the Grizzlies.
THUNDER 84, BOBCATS 81
In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the hosts knocked Charlotte out of playoff contention.
Kevin Durant had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder, playing the last home game of its inaugural season.
The Bobcats got within two points but missed their final shot with 2.2 seconds left.
WIZARDS 100, RAPTORS 98
In Toronto, Caron Butler made a jump shot at the buzzer to give Washington victory over Toronto.
CLIPPERS 109, KINGS 78
In Los Angeles, the home team snapped a six-game losing streak by thrashing Sacramento.
Brian Skinner scored a season-high 21 points and Eric Gordon added 20.
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