SALT LAKE CITY - Houston Rockets center Yao Ming broke his left foot when another player stepped on it late in the first quarter against Utah on Monday night.

Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, of China, is driven from the arena locker room by security director Al Higham after his NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz on Monday, April 10, 2006, in Salt Lake City. Yao broke his left foot in the first quarter. The Jazz beat the Rockets, 85-83. [AP]

With four games remaining and the Rockets out of the playoff race, Yao is almost certainly done for the season, although he planned to get the foot looked at again Tuesday.

"Maybe it's the best thing for me and when I come back I'll be stronger," Yao said while wearing a protective boot in the locker room after the Rockets' 85-83 loss to the Jazz.

"Tomorrow, I'll go see a doctor in Houston, so I can't say anything before that."

The 7-foot-6 Chinese star said Utah's Mehmet Okur kicked him on the side of the foot, but he tried to play through the pain for a few minutes before it became too much.

Utah's Andrei Kirilenko appeared to step on the same foot while the two were under the basket. Yao got the offensive rebound and converted the three-point play after Kirilenko was called for a foul.

After making the layup, Yao bent down and rubbed his left foot before going to the line with 4:35 left in the first quarter. He came out with 3:51 left in the period and went to the locker room.

Yao said he hadn't seen the video yet, but thought it was Okur who kicked him on the side of the foot.

"It was a fight for position," Yao said. "It happens on the court."

Yao, averaging 22.6 points and 10.3 rebounds, had five points, two rebounds and a block in 8:31 before leaving the game.

Houston was already without leading scorer Tracy McGrady, who is out for the rest of the season with a back injury.