Van Gundy on Yao's D, "Without question, he's our best basket protector"

"Without question, he's our best basket protector, not just shot blocking, but he has just gotten a lot better against pick-and-roll coverage, defending properly against cutters," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "That's not as big as the offensive thing, but certainly he's our best inside help defender."

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Hayes gets some minutes at center

The injury to Rockets center Yao Ming brought more changes to the Rockets' rotation than just at Yao's position.

With Dikembe Mutombo starting at center, Juwan Howard replaced Chuck Hayes at power forward. With Mutombo starting, the 6-6 Hayes played backup center. And with Tracy McGrady back after missing seven games because of back spasms, Luther Head came off the bench.

"We have to get the right balance of offense, defense and rebounding," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "Theoretically, we'd like when Bonzi (Wells) is on the court to get a more shooting four to give him more room to work with. We're not pairing Deke and Chuck up together. Chuck is going to have to play backup five.

"I don't know going forward if we're going to do it game by game or keep the same lineup all the time. We'll just see how it goes."

Missing D

The loss of the Rockets' leading scorer is obvious, but Yao Ming's vastly improved defense also will be missed by the team.

Though Dikembe Mutombo is a productive shot blocker, Yao had become adept at stepping in front of cutters and shouting out defenses.

"Without question, he's our best basket protector, not just shot blocking, but he has just gotten a lot better against pick-and-roll coverage, defending properly against cutters," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "That's not as big as the offensive thing, but certainly he's our best inside help defender."

Yao's injury moved Mutombo into the starting lineup.

"We need him to do it well," Van Gundy said. "He needs to give up 20-plus minutes of quality basketball every night. Whether he still has that in his tank or not we'll find out.

"I know one thing, we'll get his best effort."

No Carmelo

The Denver Nuggets' home game against the Phoenix Suns that was postponed last Wednesday because of snow was rescheduled for Feb. 5.

With the schedule change, the Rockets' game Jan. 20 against the Nuggets will be the last game of Carmelo Anthony's 15-game suspension instead of his first game back in action with Denver.

Nets update

The Nets, who host the Rockets Wednesday night, also are without their starting center, Nenad Krstic, who is out for the season with torn knee ligaments. Richard Jefferson has struggled since an ankle sprain last month. The Nets, who lost at Detroit on Tuesday, are 1-4 in the second half of back-to-backs.

Rockets update

Though Tracy McGrady played against the Pacers on Tuesday, he remains "day-to-day" with the back-to-back a different sort of test of his recuperation from back spasms. For the first game without Yao Ming, Juwan Howard started at power forward next to center Dikembe Mutombo with more rotation changes possible.

Something to check out vs. Nets

The Rockets' scoring. The Nets are not known for their defense, but teams make just 44.9 percent of their shots against the Nets.

Statistically speaking

Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy has not lost in New York or New Jersey, going 7-0 since becoming Rockets coach.

Inside the numbers

76 — Rockets points, the Rockets' fewest and the fewest the Pacers have allowed this season.

10 — Shane Battier rebounds, a season high.

13 — Pacers steals, one shy of their most and the most an opponent has had against the Rockets this season.

1 — Field goal for Luther Head. It pushed his franchise record to 27 consecutive games with a 3-pointer.

Last word

The Rockets are 2-6 this season in games without Yao Ming or Tracy McGrady.