But he made it through the Rockets' nearly two-hour practice Friday and labeled himself "75 percent" ready to face the Spurs.
"There's a good chance I could play," said McGrady. "It took me a while to really get going because it was sore from (Thursday). Once it loosened up, I was fine."
The Rockets are 7-4 in their latest stretch without McGrady but have lost their past two games, blowing fourth-quarter leads in both. McGrady said he would probably come off the bench if he plays against San Antonio.
"I would like to come out, when I first come back, and be the type of player I know I can be," he said. "I know I've missed a lot of games, been out for a while. My timing and rhythm and everything will probably be off."
Houston coach Rick Adelman was encouraged by how McGrady looked in practice Friday, but said he would wait until Saturday to decide if he could play.
"He certainly moved a lot better today, a lot better than yesterday," Adelman said. "We'll see how he feels tomorrow, see what his response is. But he certainly looked promising, the way he played over yesterday."
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