The Houston Rockets may be entering the playoffs this season as the number one seed in the Western Conference and as the best team in the NBA, but they could be without one of their key backups in the postseason.

The Rockets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 105-99 at the Staples Center, with their two key players in James Harden and Chris Paul having great games, as they both finished north of 20 points and six assists.

However, during the second quarter of the game, Houston suffered a terrible injury, as Luc Mbah a Moute injured his shoulder while dunking. He immediately left the game with 6:46 remaining in the first half.

Mbah a Moute will undergo an MRI later today, but this isn't good for the nine-year veteran, as he has already missed 15 games after dislocating his right shoulder in mid-December. However, initial reports have said this injury might not be as severe.

Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni said to the media on Tuesday that he will await results before assessing Mbah a Moute's status, but he doesn't think it is as bad as his injury from last year.

Harden said to ESPN after the game about the backup forward: "He is a big part of what we are trying to do and what we have been doing. Same injury, same shoulder twice, but he's a soldier. He is going to bounce back stronger than ever."

Chris Paul said about Mbah a Moute: "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.''

Houston has one final regular season game left to play, which is against the Sacramento Kings this evening, but considering the fact the team is locked into the top seed in the Western Conference, D'Antoni may opt to rest his starters in order to keep them fresh for the postseason, especially after the unfortunate injury to Mbah a Moute.

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