Yao Ming sat out the Rockets' game Sunday against Utah with an upper respiratory infection, according to a Associated Press report.

Yao told team officials he felt sick when he arrived at the Toyota Center for a workout on Sunday morning, Coach Rick Adelman said.

"The doctors looked at him and they don't think it's worth the chance," Adelman said. "We'll just have to move on."

The Utah Jazz today re-assigned rookie guard Morris Almond to their NBA Development League affiliate the Utah Flash.  Almond was first assigned to the Flash on Dec. 6, before being recalled by the Jazz on Jan. 8.  

Almond, 6-6, 225-pounds, has appeared in six regular season games for the Jazz.  During his first stint with the Flash, Almond played in 10 games and averaged a league-leading 29.8 points, to go with 3.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.1 steals in 37.6 minutes per game.  Almond was named D-League.com Performer of the Week for games played during the week of Dec. 17 after averaging 43.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals while shooting 47 percent from the field.  On Dec. 21, Almond scored a D-League record-tying 51 points in a win over the Austin Toros.    

Selected by the Jazz in the first round (25th overall selection) of the 2007 NBA Draft, Almond was a four-year contributor at Rice University where he averaged 15.1 points and 3.5 rebounds over the course of his career and was named Conference USA Player of the Year as a senior after setting single-season conference records for points average (26.4 ppg), points scored (884,) and free throws made (241).  Additionally, Almond earned First Team All-Conference USA honors during his junior and senior seasons and finished his career as Rice?s fourth all-time leading scorer with 1,825 points.

Jazz forward Matt Harpring received a clean bill of health from his doctors on Thursday, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

He underwent a colonoscopy on Wednesday and had a biopsy done on several areas in his digestive tract. Thankfully, doctors were able to rule out a number of serious health complications.

It appears as though the anti-inflammatories Harpring was taking for his knee were eating away the lining in his stomach.

- Detroit 90, San Antonio 80

Rasheed Wallace led the Detroit Pistons to an impressive victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night. The teams were very evenly matched statistically, but the Spurs turned the ball over fifteen times, which led to eighteen points for the Pistons. Detroit used a strong first quarter to take a 30-15 advantage over San Antonio, and the Spurs were never able to recover. Rasheed Wallace led the Pistons with 23 points, and 15 rebounds while Tim Duncan starred for the Spurs with 24 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Game FIC Scores
Rasheed Wallace, DET ? 27.5*
Tim Duncan, SA ? 26.125
Chauncey Billups, DET ? 12
Tony Parker, SA ? 2.875

- Sacramento 116, Memphis 113

Francisco Garcia hit a three-pointer with seven seconds left against the Memphis Grizzles to give the Sacramento Kings a 116-113 win on Thursday. The Kings overcame the Grizzles' hot shooting; Memphis went 13-for-26 from behind the arc, thanks to fourteen offensive rebounds. Sacramento was led by John Salmons, who tallied 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists. Rudy Gay starred for Memphis with 31 points and 7 rebounds. The Kings outrebounded the Grizzles 43-34 in the win.

Game FIC Scores
John Salmons, SAC ? 24.625
Rudy Gay, MEM ? 22
Brad Miller, SAC ? 19.75
Pau Gasol, MEM ? 7.75

- Utah 108, Phoenix 106

The Utah Jazz put the defensive clamps on the hot-shooting Phoenix Suns on Thursday, en route to a 108-86 victory. Mehmet Okur paced the Jazz with 24 points and 17 rebounds, and Ronnie Brewer added 21 points and 5 boards of his own. Leandro Barbosa led the Suns with 25 points while Amare Stoudemire posted 21 points and 13 rebounds. Utah held Phoenix to 37% shooting, while posting a nine-rebound edge over the Suns. Four Jazz starters scored in double figures, with Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams combining for 35 points.

Game FIC Scores
Mehmet Okur, UTA ? 23.5
Deron Williams, UTA ? 19.25
Amare Stoudemire, PHX ? 17.75
Leandro Barbosa, PHX ? 14.75

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.?

Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

Andrei Kirilenko will miss his second straight game with a back injury, and Ronnie Price won't play because of a sprained ankle so the Utah Jazz recalled Morris Almond from the Developmental League for tonight's matchup against Indiana at EnergySolutions Arena.

Kirilenko is sidelined with lower back inflammation. He is improving, according to a team spokesman, but there is no timetable for his return.

Price won't play against Indiana, but his injury is not believed to be serious, and he will be day-to-day after the Jazz-Pacers' game.

Utah Jazz General Manager Kevin O?Connor announced today that the team has recalled rookie guard Morris Almond from the Utah Flash of the NBA Development League (D-League).

Almond, a 6-6, 225-pound guard out of Rice has appeared in three games for the Jazz, playing a total of 12 scoreless minutes.  Almond was selected by the Jazz in the first round (25th overall selection) of the 2007 NBA Draft.

Starting small forward Andrei Kirilenko will not travel with the team for the Jazz's game Saturday night at Portland.

Kirilenko injured his back in the final five minutes of practice Thursday and is out with what the Jazz are calling lower-back inflammation.

Kirilenko did not practice this morning, and planned to visit the Jazz's orthopedic specialist Dr. Lyle Mason later today.

The timetable for how long the 2004 NBA All-Star from Russia is expected to be out beyond Saturday was not immediately known.

Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan said prior to Friday's practice that he wasn't sure how he would replace Kirilenko in the opening lineup for Saturday's game against the Trail Blazers.

Former 76er Kyle Korver did not waste time haunting his old team.

Traded on Saturday to Utah, Korver hit five free throws down the stretch and came up with a key loose ball last night as the Jazz held off a frenetic Sixers' rally in a 110-107 win at Energy Solutions Arena.

Korver played only 11 minutes and 23 seconds, but he scored 14 points, hitting 3 of 4 from the field, including both three-point attempts, and 6 of 7 foul shots.

He said it was difficult emotionally to go against his former teammates whom he could only praise.

"They played so hard, and it was another typical game where they just never gave up," Korver said. "They played hard until the end."

When the 76ers face the Utah Jazz tonight in Energy Solutions Arena, all it represents to Gordan Giricek is his first game against his former team. The Sixers sent Kyle Korver to the Jazz for Giricek and a future protected first-round draft choice in a deal that was completed early last Saturday morning.

Giricek made his debut Monday night, scoring six points in 13 minutes of the Sixers' 98-90 victory in Seattle. Korver was more high-profile in his Monday Jazz debut, contributing 11 points in 17 minutes and being named player of the game in a 111-101 victory that ended the Portland Trail Blazers' winning streak at 13.

Time, Giricek said, to look ahead rather than behind.

"We're done with that story [of his three seasons-plus with the Jazz]," he said. "I have a new chapter in my basketball career. It's Philadelphia, and I'm going to do everything I can to help the team."

"It will be awkward a little [tonight]. I've been playing basketball a long time, and I don't need any more excitement like that. I don't fall into the [trap] that this is my ex-team; they traded me and now I'm going to do everything I can to beat them. I think I'm going to see it as a game that I'm going to help my new team beat my old team."