NEARLY a week after suffering his injury in an odd collision with Lakers forward Luke Walton, Tracy McGrady is expected to return to the starting lineup tonight when the Rockets host the Dallas Mavericks.

McGrady practiced Monday without incident. He practiced with the team for about 20 minutes.

Yao Ming has struggled to find his own game in McGrady’s absence. During the two-game without his All-Star partner, Yao averaged 13 points on 33.3 percent shooting. He picked up two early fouls in the first quarter of both losses that prevented him from getting into an early rhythm. On top of that, the Spurs had success fronting him, while the Suns gave Yao problems with their speed.

McGrady’s return should help with that since defenses won’t be able to focus solely on Yao.(SD-Agencies)