Caution flags continue to flap in the saga of ailing Heat center Alonzo Mourning, who was ordered by his doctors to remain home Wednesday as his teammates flew to New York for tonight?s game against the Knicks.

Mourning, 31, who missed two games last week because of a virus, clearly struggled in the past two games since returning, shooting a combined 10 of 29 from the field and wilting down the stretch in losses to Sacramento and Philadelphia. He admitted Monday that the recent bug or food poisoning episode had set him back ?five steps? in terms of stamina and strength in his ongoing fight against his kidney disease.

Mourning also will miss games against Charlotte on Friday and Minnesota on Tuesday and won?t return until after Thanksgiving for a home game against Dallas (Nov. 23), giving him 10 days to recover.

To compound matters for a floundering 2-5 Heat team that has dropped three straight, slumping power forward Brian Grant also stayed behind and will miss the next 10 days (or five games) with a bone bruise on his right instep. The injury may explain why Grant is averaging 10 points and 5.1 rebounds (compared to 15.2 and 8.8, respectively, as he played in all 82 games last season). He said it has been bothering him since the season opener but had gotten progressively worse. The foot was placed in a camwalker (walking cast).

?We don?t see him [Mourning] limping, we don?t see any bandages, but he?s playing hurt,? Riley said. ?He doesn?t want any compassion from anybody. He doesn?t want any excuse, but he?s playing hurt. I don?t know if he can control it, if I can control it or if the doctors can control it. We just have to keep working at it and not condemn him because he?s out there playing hurt and not playing at the level some people think he should play at.