Houston forward Shane Battier doesn’t like to miss games. He’s missed only 13 in his eight-year NBA career and has played in the last 221 in a row, dating back to his days in
Memphis with the Grizzlies.

 But after kicking Seattle’s Kevin Durant awkwardly in Wednesday night win over the Sonics and brusing his left foot and ankle, Battier will miss his first game as a Rocket tonight – something he knows good friend and fellow Duke graduate Grant Hill will love.

 “He’s going to say I have Grant Hill-itis,” said Battier, one of the top candidiates for the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year Award.

 Luther Head will start for Battier, who will be stewing in street clothes. Tracy McGrady, who missed the
Seattle game with a chronic shoulder injury, said he didn’t feel much better Friday morning but will play.

 “I pride myself on staying healthy and anytime I’m banged up it’s disappointing,” he said. “I was crossed over pretty good (on Durant) and I missed the ball (with a kick) and got his shin pretty good and it torqued my foot in a weird way.

 “There’s lots of swelling but nothing structurally wrong with it. But I have to treat it like a sprained ankle almost and get the swelling out. I don’t think it will be too long.

 But missing one game is enough.

 “It sucks, it’s the worst part,” he said. “My entire career, I’ve hated it. I feel an obligation to my teammates and coaches and fans to be out there. But if I can’t be at my best, I’m not doing anybody a good service.”

 It’s a big game, Both teams have wrapped up a playoff spot, but the Suns trail the Rockets by a half game in the battle for homecourt advantage and can take the season series – the first tiebreaker – with a win.

 “You have to have the bigger picture in mind,” he said “We’re in the playoffs and the playoffs are in a week and a half. This is a big game for seeding but you can’t see off the playoffs for short-gains.”

You never know what’s going to happen in an NBA game in Atlanta.

 Earlier this year, the official scorer fouled out then-Miami center Shaquille O’Neal one foul too early — leading to a protest and a replay — and now another re-do could be coming.

 Wednesday, Toronto’s T.J. Ford’s potential game-winning layup with 0.5 seconds left failed to beat the regulation buzzer, but replays clearly showed the game clock started before Ford touched the ball.

 It wasn’t clear whether one of the three referees started the clock from their belt packs or if the game clock operator of Atlanta’s much-maligned staff was the culprit. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported referee Eric Lewis to blame.

 “The clock clearly started before (Ford) touched it,” Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo told the Toronto Star. “The fact this happened in Atlanta … it’s just totally inexcusable.”

 The Raptors, who would have clinched a playoff spot with a win, and Ford have been here before. Two years ago, Atlanta scorekeepers completely missed a Ford layup – didn’t put in on the board, didn’t credit it – and blamed the oversight on a brief power failure.

 OK, but why does this stuff always happen at Phiilps Arena?

 With Grant Hill still out with a groin injury and the Suns playing the second game in as many nights — this time at altitude — it figured that Phoenix would expand the rotation back to eight players tonight.

 And with Gordan Giricek struggling the past few games to find any rhythm within the offense, coach Mike D’Antoni plans to give Brian Skinner an early first quarter call along with Boris Diaw tonight against the Nuggets.

 Giricek will be the late first period sub when Nash heads to the bench and the Suns reconfigure their offense. How much he plays beyond that will depend on whether he improves on Monday’s disjoined effort where he brought the offense to a screeching halt on several possessions.

 That will be music to the ears of fans pining for Skinner to get off the pine. Skinner who has played just five minutes in the last five games, will play with Amare Stoudemire and Diaw up front unless foul trouble dictates otherwise.

 Hill worked up a sweat in pregame warmups and said he felt better Tuesday. He is still pointing toward a return Friday against Minnesota, although that could change if he’s still not 100 percent.

 Look to see more of Stoudemire, Diaw and Shaquille O’Neal on the floor at the same time. That trio along with Steve Nash and Raja Bell was all but unstoppable in the second half against the Nuggets on Monday, and D’Antoni wants to see more of Diaw at the small forward spot — especially with Hill hurting. Diaw can still handle the ball and do some playmaking from that spot, allowing Nash to drift to the 3-point line more often. Nash is coming off a career-high eight 3-pointers but will likely get more attention around the arc tonight.

Too many items for the paper to hold Monday, so here’s some more stuff to note:

  *If coming back from a big deficit to beat Denver at home looked familiar, it should. Exactly a year and a day earlier — March, 30, 2007, the Nuggets blew an 18-point lead in Phoenix and also wound up losing by a huge margin (125-108). The Nuggets led by 12 at the end of one quarter and stretched the lead to 18 before the Suns outscored them 65-43 in the second half to win going away.

*The Suns’ win was their sixth in a row at home, tying a season high.

*The win was Phoenix’s 50th of the season, the fourth year in a row of at least 50 wins. The Suns join San Antonio and Detroit as the only other teams to do that (Dallas has 45 wins and could get there too). During Phoenix’s run 50-win seasons, 17 of the other 29 NBA teams have not recorded a single 50-win season.

 *Amare Stoudemire registered his 11th 40-point game of his career – extending his own franchise record…

 *Steve Nash’s eight 3-pointers were one shy of the franchise record of nine held by Quentin Richardson (12/29/04 at New Orleans…

 *Phoenix’s starting frontcourt of Raja Bell (10), Shaquille O’Neal (12) and Amare Stoudemire (14) combined for 36 rebounds – three more than the entire Nuggets team (33). Stoudemire and Nash outscored the Nuggets by themselves (48-47) in the second half. 

 *The Suns have now won eight straight against Western Conference competition, with four of the wins coming against playoff contenders (San Antonio, Golden State, Houston and Denver). Phoenix and Denver are both 10-15 against the West’s top nine teams, tied for the worst among the contenders.