HOUSTON, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Rockets' center Yao Ming will be out "several weeks" because of toe surgery -- the latest woe for the injury-riddled team, the Houston Chronicle reported.
The Shanghai-born Yao, who has averaged a career-high 19.9 points and 9 rebounds per game this season, underwent surgery on his left "big" toe Monday. The procedure treated osteomyelitis, a bacterial bone infection, team officials said.
Yao's replacement, Dikembe Mutombo, dislocated and cut a finger and will miss at least two games.
That leaves the Rockets with six injured players.
However, Houston has won seven of its last nine contests with Tracy McGrady, who was out with a strained back, again in the lineup.
"If you have Tracy McGrady on your team and you play really hard and really smart, you can find a way to be in a game," Rockets Coach Jeff Van Gundy told the newspaper. "And if you can be in a game, you can win a game. We have no excuses. We don't want any."
