"For a second-consecutive game, the Rockets will go into tonight's game even more short-handed than usual, even for them.

Leading scorer Kevin Martin will be out with a sprained right wrist. He is day-to-day. Center Brad Miller is out for a week with a sore left knee.

"It's part of the business," forward Luis Scola said. "Injuries are part of every team in the NBA. It's not just us. Everybody has injuries. Look at Dallas. Look at Portland. All those teams have a lot of problems with injuries. We are not an exception. We are going to have those problems all the way. We need to get through them. We need to win games anyway."

Scola was not quite right. Of the Rockets' next three opponents, there is only one injury among them, and he might be back by the time the Rockets get to town on Saturday. "