Rockets stick with struggling Mbah a Moute as he comes back from shoulder injury

Though Luc Mbah a Moute had struggled badly in the first two games of the series while coming back from a dislocated right shoulder, Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said he intended to continue to play Mbah a Moute and determine his playing time by how he performs.

Mbah a Moute, who dislocated his right shoulder on a dunk in Los Angeles on the second-to-last game of the season, has had pain in the shoulder throughout his seven games since coming back. But he said he is also trying to find a rhythm after sitting out for four weeks, a challenge with fewer intense practices in the post-season.

"It's OK," Mbah a Moute said. "I'm able to play. It's just a matter of getting my rhythm back, getting back adjusted to contact, going out there and finishing strong. Lack of practice definitely doesn't help. We're trying to do more workouts, trying to do more two-on-two, three-on-three just to get in a rhythm."

Mbah a Moute said it has been more difficult to come back from the injury than in the regular season when he returned in January during a busier stretch of the season. After two off days following his first game back, the Rockets played nine games in 18 days. They had played just seven games in 22 days going into Sunday's Game 3.

"First time, we had practice coming in, we had games," Mbah a Moute said. "You get in the games and you get used to getting hit and you get used to all that stuff. It happens quicker. The second time, you get two games a week. Practice is not as intense. That makes it a little bit harder."

Mbah a Moute had made just 1 of 11 shots in the series, and has made just 25 percent of his shots, 15.4 percent of his 3-pointers in his first seven playoff games since returning from a dislocated right shoulder.

"He's battling through an injury that happened twice so it's not easy to throw him right in the middle of the playoffs. He was a really important part, super important. We definitely want to try to get him back to the level that he was. Once you get in games, you better play well. I'm pretty tight (with a rotation) anyway.

"Very little practice because we don't practice a lot in the playoffs. He is dealing with an injury that happened twice to him. I never had my shoulder dislocated but I'm sure it's not pleasant. He's just trying to get through that. Especially with shoulders, you have to get through picks, you're hitting people, you're using force. Sometimes, he wanted to dun and the last minute, oh that's not a good idea and it throws you off. We got to get him through it.

"I'll stick with him and trust him. He deserves that. He's one of the reasons we won 65 games. We'll see how that goes."