Rockets center Nene out for rest of playoffs with groin injury

HOUSTON -- Houston Rockets reserve center Nene will miss the remainder of the playoffs due to a torn left adductor, the team announced Monday morning.


Nene suffered the injury during the first quarter of Sunday's series-tying Game 4 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. He missed the rest of the game, leaving the Toyota Center to undergo an MRI.


Nene, a 15-year veteran, emerged as a key role player during his first season with the Rockets. He averaged 9.1 points and 4.2 rebounds in 17.9 minutes during the regular season. He was even more productive during the playoffs, averaging 10.0 points and 4.7 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game while shooting 70.6 percent from the floor.


Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni used power forward Ryan Anderson as the backup to center Clint Capela with Nene sidelined Sunday afternoon. D'Antoni opted to pull Anderson from the starting lineup in the second half, replacing him with Eric Gordon to go with a three-guard look.
Montrezl Harrell, a second-year player who averaged 9.1 points and 3.8 rebounds during the regular season, is another option to back up Capela. However, Harrell has only played 18 minutes during this postseason.

Surprised the total didn't really move much relative to the other games. Rockets will be playing smaller lineups for the majority of the game now. So there will be mismatches all over the place for both teams to potentially exploit. And they used these lineups 2nd half last game, so the Spurs should be more prepared to exploit it.