The bottom of the Western Conference playoff race just opened up a bit wider.
The Houston Rockets, who currently hold the eighth and final spot in the West, announced Monday that will be without do-it-all point guard Kyle Lowry for two to four weeks due to a bacterial infection.
The Rockets played New Jersey over the weekend, and Lowry was taken to a New York hospital with an illness. He underwent tests that revealed the infection and will remain hospitalized until Tuesday, when he will be released and return to Houston.
Lowry must complete a full course of antibiotic treatment and could be out until mid-April. He is having the best season of his career, averaging 15.9 points, 7.2 assists and 5.3 rebounds, all career highs.
Goran Dragic started in place of Lowry on Saturday night and scored a season-high 23 points with eight assists and five rebounds in a 112-106 win. He had 20 points and eight assists in Sunday’s loss at Cleveland.
Dragic has been mentioned in a handful of trade rumors this season and actually was sent to New Orleans as part of the vetoed Chris Paul deal. It is unlikely that the Rockets will trade him now.
Houston is 22-20, one-half game behind Dallas and one game behind Denver in the crowded West playoff picture. However, right behind the Rockets are five teams within one game in the loss column – Minnesota (21-21), Portland (20-21), Utah (19-21), Phoenix (19-21) and Golden State (17-21).
The Rockets are 1-3 on their road trip, which ends Tuesday in Oklahoma City. They return home to face Charlotte on Wednesday, then hit the road again for matchups with the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday and Phoenix on Sunday.
“The challenge from Android is a real one, and Google will slowly gain additional share in the tablet market that will allow developers to make more money from the Android platform, so Apple needs to further cultivate developer relationships and make the interaction with the company as frictionless as possible,” Van Baker, a Gartner analyst said.