Tracy McGrady sits out with groin strainMcGrady sits out with groin, hip strains

November 11, 2004

HOUSTON (AP) -- Houston Rockets guard Tracy McGrady sat out Thursday night's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves because of nagging hip and groin strains.

McGrady had said during Wednesday's practice that he might try to play, but he took a few shots during pregame warmups and later came back to the bench in a dark brown suit.

Playing only his fifth game with Houston on Tuesday, McGrady left midway through the third quarter of the Rockets' 90-87 home win over Memphis with a right hip strain and didn't return.

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The two-time NBA scoring champion, acquired from Orlando in an offseason trade, said his hip and groin started bothering him during last Friday's game at Memphis and have only gotten worse.

McGrady played through a similar injury with the Magic last year, going scoreless in a December game against the New York Knicks. He missed 15 games last season with a variety of injuries.

Third-year swingman Bostjan Nachbar took McGrady's spot in the lineup. It was only the fifth start of his career, the first this season.

The Rockets were going for their fourth straight win after losing the first two games of the season.