Will Clint Capela's Injury Hijack Houston Rockets' Scoring Attack?

It all comes down to energy.

It sounds simple, dismissive even. But what Clint Capela gives the Houston Rockets—more than alley-oop finishes, more than tip-ins and put-backs, dunks and pick-and-rolls that open up creative space for James Harden—is boundless, nonstop energy.

And that's what the Rockets will need from the other guys moving forward to replace Capela's 11.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game while he's out four to six weeks with a small left fibula fracture.

Energy.

"I'm sure he hates to be out," coach Mike D'Antoni told Bleacher Report prior to the 102-100 loss against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night at the Toyota Center.

"But it gives other guys opportunities to step up and try to fill the holes as best we can. We'll use a little bit of everybody, those two guys primarily [Nene Hilario and Montrezl Harrell] and we'll use Ryan [Anderson]. We have enough to hold the fort."

They got a sufficient amount from Nene, who finished with 10 points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes, while Harrell came off the bench to drop nine points and five rebounds through 22 minutes. Both bigs were more than capable in the pick-and-roll with Harden, and Nene showed flashes of his younger, more dominant self.

"I thought they played well, especially Montrezl," D'Antoni said after the game. "We'll use Ryan some at the 5; we have other answers, so we'll be OK. We still gotta keep tweaking it and looking at it and making sure that we're not giving guys too many minutes, that's the biggest thing."

Nonetheless, all that energy still came with an L. Patty Mills nailed a three-pointer with 12.9 seconds left, lifting the Spurs to their fifth win in a row and snapping the Rockets' 10-game winning streak.

Now the bigger questions loom in Houston: With Harrell's inexperience and Nene's minutes restriction, can D'Antoni's diminished frontcourt hold until Capela rehabs his way back to the lineup?

"Yeah, I think so," D'Antoni said. "Give Sam [Dekker] some more minutes and he'll keep getting better, so you look for what's positive about it. Montrezl will develop, Sam will develop, then we'll get Clint back and then we'll be set again."

At 22, Capela is young enough that this injury should be just a bump in the road for the Rockets, who are looking to get home-court advantage in the first and second round of the playoffs. D'Antoni's tight rotations notwithstanding, this will also give him a solid look at his supporting cast and whether he can rely on them down the stretch.

For example, while Harrell may not be as nimble as Capela, he's strong, runs the floor well and has a feel for the basket, which gives credence to the idea that he can maintain Capela's third-ranked paint touches (six) per outing.

"Yeah, the bigs are pretty similar as far as being smart and knowing where to be," Rockets star James Harden said. "They know how to screen, know what their role is, so nothing changes. It just sucks to see Clint go out like that."

"There's been a lot of games where he's [Montrezl] been the best one," D'Antoni said. "We expect it to continue, and he has a great opportunity to get a lot of time and improve his game. His energy and his ability to pick-and-roll and his defense is really good. He talks, he communicates, he does a lot of good things. So now he'll have to play more minutes so he has to keep his energy at the same level..."

With D'Antoni's confidence in Harrell rising, it gives the second-year power forward—who is averaging 6.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in only 13.9 minutes per contest—extra ammunition to play through mistakes, continue to learn on the fly and, of course, keep his motor up.

"I prepared for this," Harrell said. "I've been staying ready, keeping myself in shape for when my number is called, and now the team needs me more. I'm not gonna put myself in a bad position and take a step back."

Although Houston's first test run sans Capela came up short, there are some positive takeaways in the big picture. The Rockets—who normally lead the NBA in three-point makes (14.9)—were only 6-of-38 on long balls and shot just 38 percent from the field versus San Antonio, yet they were still in a position to win.

"We stepped in and we did our jobs," Harrell said. "It was a hard-fought game, and we definitely had an opportunity to win the game. Some defensive breakdowns caused us to lose, and that's on our part. But we'll come together and fix it."

Harrell and Dekker ran the floor effectively, giving the squad much-needed jolts of energy, which should allow Houston to remain tied for third place in fast-break points per game at 16.3.

"Obviously Clint is a key piece to our team in what we're trying to do," Harden said. "It's tough, especially for a young guy like that who's been playing well, finally getting an opportunity to start and play heavy minutes to get an injury like that. But we have the right training staff, and he'll be back in no time, and that means opportunities for Nene and Montrezl and other guys to step up."

Rockets Insider's Notebook

Welcome Back, Bobby

Bobby Brown was the odd man out during the Rockets' curious, back-and-forth saga to sign restricted free agent Donatas Motiejunas. Brown was released after Houston matched the Brooklyn Nets' offer sheet for the big man on Dec. 5.

But things fell apart with Motiejunas, who was renounced by the team and granted unrestricted free-agent status, opening the door for Brown to return.

"Definitely felt good getting back on the court and working out," Brown told the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen.

Although Brown, 32, has only played in six games and is averaging 0.3 points per outing, he's excited to be back in the fold and biding his time for when his number is called.

"Just being in this atmosphere was great," Brown said. "It feels real good to be back with the guys, the coaches, to continue where we started in training camp all the way back to where we started in the summer in Miami. Just happy to be back."

Rockets Giving Back

Rockets owner Leslie Alexander is making a difference.

As part of the team's annual Season of Giving, the Chairman of the Board of the Clutch City Foundation announced his plan to select eight charitable organizations in the Houston community to share a $4 million donation.

"I wanted to give back to the community," Alexander said. "Houston has been very kind to me. It was my chance again to give back. I thought about a number that I was comfortable with and big enough to make a difference."

Charities interested in being selected will be able to register on Rockets.com for information on how to be considered. The charities will be chosen by Alexander and the Clutch City Foundation and announced in January during a special event.

Alexander explained that for charities to be considered, they need to be in a position to assist "People in need, animals in need, organizations in need, immigrants in need."

This past October, Alexander and the Rockets were recognized for being a "Community Champion" for decades of charitable giving by the Anti-Defamation League Southwest Region.

"When I bought the team, I said we would try to do two things: give back to the community and win," Alexander said. "And we keep trying to do that. I think it's very important. If you're lucky enough in this society to have done well, you should have an obligation to constantly give back and you want to, you want to help people."

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats accurate as of Dec. 21 and courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com.

Maurice Bobb covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @ReeseReport.