Rockets forward Luc Mbah a Moute, a significant role-player in coach Mike D'Antoni's rotation, sustained a dislocated right shoulder Tuesday in Houston's meaningless second-to-last game before the playoffs start this weekend, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Mbah a Moute immediately grabbed his shoulder after he suffered the injury while bracing himself on a fall after a hard dunk over the Lakers' Thomas Bryant. He went directly to the locker room and was quickly diagnosed with a dislocation, the same injury to the same shoulder he suffered in December.
"He'll get an MRI and we'll go from there," D'Antoni said. "I think it's less (severe than in December), but I don't know. We'll have to wait until tomorrow when he gets it checked out, see what happens.
Mbah a Moute missed 15 games stretching across a month, from mid-December to mid-January with the previous shoulder injury.
Despite averaging only 7.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game, he was expected to play a key role in the playoffs not only as a backup small forward, but also at power forward when the Rockets go to a small lineup, the Chronicle reported.
"He is a big part of what we are trying to do and what we have been doing," James Harden said (via ESPN.com). "Same injury, same shoulder twice, but he's a soldier. He is going to bounce back stronger than ever."
Added Chris Paul: "We've just got to pick it up by committee. ... Luc has been unbelievably important. Just his spirit, the way he plays, he defends, rebounds, runs, all that stuff.''
With Mbah a Moute out, the Rockets still can play a three-guard lineup to cover Mbah a Moute's usual minutes but will have to go back to playing Joe Johnson or Ryan Anderson at power forward behind P.J. Tucker, according to the Chronicle.
The Rockets are locked in as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and will open with either the Nuggets or Timberwolves in the playoffs, which start this weekend.
