October 17, 2004 in Sports

Yao rested and ready for Kings

Associated Press
 

Yao Ming is refreshed.

After a demanding few days in his hometown for the first NBA game in China, the Houston Rockets center has had some time to unwind since arriving in Beijing.

“In Shanghai, I was on a very tight schedule and was working almost every minute, every second,” he said at a news conference Saturday. “But when I came to Beijing, I had a very good rest. … My physical condition is pretty good for today’s practice and tomorrow’s game.”

Houston will face the Sacramento Kings again today. The Rockets won 88-86 Thursday, with the 7-foot-6 Yao finishing with 14 points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes. He said he may have been slowed by his heavy schedule of appearances, from TV spots to a visit to his old elementary school to promote reading.

That game also marked the debut of Sacramento’s Liu Wei, Yao’s teammate on China’s national squad. Liu entered a minute and a half into the second quarter and scored three minutes later with a jump shot.

“I think he did quite well,” Yao said. “He’s better than I expected.”

Williams looking at surgery

Toronto Raptors point guard Alvin Williams lost his starting job because of an injured right knee. Now, he’s worried he might need season-ending surgery.

“Right now, I’m not even practicing,” Williams said.

Williams doesn’t have much cartilage left in the knee. He thinks an operation that will sideline him for six months is inevitable.

Crawford done for year

Chris Crawford of the Atlanta Hawks will miss the entire season because of an injured right knee.

Crawford was injured Thursday during an exhibition game in Birmingham, Ala., when he was fouled by Minnesota’s Kevin Garnett.

An MRI revealed that Crawford tore the anterior cruciate ligament, sprained the medial collateral ligament, and tore cartilage.

Brown misses game

Larry Brown missed the Detroit Pistons’ preseason game with Miami after complaining that he wasn’t feeling well.

Brown, who remained in Detroit, is expected to coach the defending champion Pistons today when they return home to play Minnesota.

© Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Recent stories in Sports
No comments on this story so far. Add yours!

    You must be logged in to post comments.
    Please create a profile or log in here.