Alston sprains ankle, will not return

May 3, 2008 - 7:16 AM SALT LAKE CITY (Ticker) -- Houston Rockets guard Rafer Alston left with a sprained right ankle in the second quarter of Friday's 113-91 loss in Game Six against the Utah Jazz in their Western Conference first-round series.

Alston suffered the injury with 5:10 remaining in the second quarter after coming down awkwardly on a driving layup and will not return. X-rays were negative.

"We came into halftime and realized Rafer wasn't coming out in the second half, and things kind of changed," Rockets swingman Tracy McGrady said. "We're a different ballclub when he's not in our lineup."

"Obviously that's always one of the things that I hate to see happen with any team," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "(Alston) was a huge loss for them, because whenever he was on the floor, they were out there competing. They fought back even though he was out, but it was a huge loss for them."

The speedy New York playground legend missed the first two games of the series with a nagging right hamstring injury.

With Friday's loss, Houston was eliminated in the opening round of the postseason for the second straight season.