Rockets' Clint Capela Playing with 2 Respiratory Illnesses During Jazz Series

Houston Rockets center Clint Capela has been playing through a pair of respiratory infections during the team's first-round series against the Utah Jazz, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

Capela was diagnosed with an adenovirus and a klebsiella infection Sunday and is expected to need four to five more days to recover.

"It's tough, man," Capela said on Monday, per MacMahon. "Especially when I try to breathe, it's hard. I'm just going to fight it the best that I can."

After Capela was held to four points and seven rebounds in a 107-91 loss in Game 4 on Monday, Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni acknowledged his big man was battling a virus:

Capela has been prescribed medication and eye drops, with MacMahon noting Capela's eyes were "extremely bloodshot" Monday. That was also evident during a postgame interview after Game 3 on Saturday, via Berman:

It's a tough break for the 24-year-old Capela, who is coming off his finest regular season to date. The fifth-year center established new career highs in both scoring (16.6 ppg) and rebounding (12.7 rpg) while adding 1.5 blocks per game.

He is averaging 9.5 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in four games against the Jazz.

Capela's status for Game 1 was up in the air after he missed two days of workouts prior to the start of the series due to the illness. 

"I've been better. The last two days, lack of sleep, high fever, so I've been better," Capela said April 13, according to the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen. "It's tough when you are trying to get ready, you can't really sleep, coughing a lot. Medicine hasn't really been helpful so far. I’m going to keep fighting through."

He also noted that Houston receiving a late start in the postseason was also beneficial for him.

Capela and the Rockets will be back in action Wednesday night with the opportunity to try to close out the Jazz in five games.