The Houston Rockets are making their push for the playoffs, currently on the fringe of the Western Conference elites at 26-23, and they could really use the borderline All-Star talent of point guard Kyle Lowry to get them over the top. But unfortunately for them, Lowry says he may miss the rest of this season, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

“It was very scary for a while,” Lowry said of the bacterial infection that’s sidelined him almost three weeks. “I had a temperature of 104 for a couple days. It’s not a good feeling. It’s very scary, but it’s something that you learn from and you have do deal with and do what you have to do to get better.”

Lowry still doesn’t understand how the infection came about — he came down with a minor groin injury after a May 7 loss to the Toronto Raptors, and he went in for an MRI, doctors discovered another health issue altogether.

“Terrible. Horrible. Awful. Not right at all,” Lowry said of that night in Toronto. “It was just a bad ordeal for me. I was sick before the game. After the game, the guys waited for me an hour. I was trying to get an IV and they couldn’t do it. I was cold, shivering, chills. It was just a tough situation.”

Lowry has started 38 games this season for the Rockets, who sit in a three-way tie with Utah and Denver for the West’s last two playoff spots. He’s averaged 15.9 points, 7.2 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game.

There’s still smoke, and there still may be fire yet — speculation continues about the Lakers potentially trading big man Pau Gasol. Ken Berger of CBS reports today that the Lakers “are said to be serious about trading Pau Gasol in the right deal.”

One major snag, however, is that one of the Lakers’ most prominent trade partners just became a lot less attractive. The Lakers were at one point rumored to be discussing a trade with the Houston Rockets built around Gasol and Kyle Lowry, but with Lowry now out for 2-4 weeks with a bacterial infection, the Lakers find their options limited.

Another Houston trade chip is power forward Luis Scola, but the Lakers are believed to be emphasizing a slimmer payroll in dealing Gasol, and Scola still has a healthy $19.6 million left on his contract in the next two years.

Then again, considering the age of Kobe Bryant and the narrow window for this Laker team to win another championship, it might be worth the financial investment for L.A. to gamble on a big contract like Scola’s.

“If they’re going to send a message to Kobe Bryant that they’re not about winning, they’re about money,” one league source told Berger, “that’s going to set off a whole new deal.”

Rockets guard Kyle Lowry was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service and impulse-control counseling stemming from a misdemeanor battery charge this summer, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Lowry was accused of throwing a ball at an official after a game played in Las Vegas during the lockout. Because the case was a misdemeanor, Lowry was not required to appear in court today — Clark County Courts spokesperson Mary Ann Price told the Chronicle that once Lowry completes his service time, the case against him will be dismissed.

Lowry is having an All-Star caliber season for the Rockets, averaging 14.7 points, 8.0 assists, 6.2 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game.

Houston Rockets guard Kyle Lowry has been charged in a Las Vegas court with misdemeanor battery stemming from a September basketball game between Lowry and other NBA players, FOX 26 in Houston is reporting.

“We have confirmed a criminal complaint charging Kyle Lowry with one count of misdemeanor battery has been filed with the Las Vegas Justice Court,” said Tess Driver of the district attorney’s office, in an interview with the station.

According to the arrest report, Lowry got upset with Infini Robinson, a female who was officiating the game. Lowry allegedly threw a basketball into her torso and then challenged her to a fight. He later, the report states, hit her again with the ball, throwing it “at a high rate of speed.”

If convicted, Lowry could spend six months in jail. The Rockets have released a statement to the media, acknowledging the situation.

“We are aware that a complaint has been filed in Las Vegas against Kyle,” said Daryl Morey, Rockets general manager, in a statement. “We will work to get clarity on the situation. As this is a legal matter, we will not comment further.”