Houston Rockets star Tracy McGrady started Tuesday night against Atlanta after missing the last five games because of a back injury.

McGrady has missed eight of Houston's 14 games after straining his back in practice on Nov. 4. The Rockets have lost all eight games without him.

McGrady, a five-time All-Star, sat out three games after the initial injury, then returned to score 35 points in Houston's win at New Jersey on Nov. 12. He started Houston's next four games, but hasn't played since going 3-for-16 in three quarters in the Rockets' loss to Detroit on Nov. 18.

McGrady, the NBA's sixth-leading scorer last season, came into Tuesday's game averaging 21.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists.

The Bulls' back-to-back wins in Texas pleased the club and were a measure of the team's progress.

Chicago has struggled with the Rockets in recent history but this time weathered Yao's 30 points in a 94-89 victory at the Toyota Center.

Ben Gordon, per usual, lifted his team with 18 points off the bench.  Veteran reserve Othella Harrington came up with a big contribution of 16.

Tyson Chandler's health problems are a concern.  He is experiencing fatigue and will be watched closely.

"I knew something wasn't right," Chandler said. "I was feeling like I couldn't get my wind."

Yao Ming has averaged 18.9 points per game so far this season, after averaging 18.3 last season. He has not shot as well, but that is not necessarily the source of the rising dissatisfaction.

More than anything, it is that the Rockets are 3-11 and no one makes a more obvious target for frustration than the player viewed as being at a level that would prevent such a slide.

"I know right now, everybody's hopping off the Yao bandwagon," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "That happens. People are fickle. When a guy doesn't make (shots) it's condemn Yao. It's either Yao is right behind Shaq (O'Neal) or Yao is right below the worst center in the league. With Yao, the only thing I feel badly about is people try to raise expectations up so high, they're actually satisfied with nothing that he does. I feel badly for him in that way.

"I'm not going to jump off because everyone else has."

Besides Bobby Sura, the Rockets also might not get guard/forward Dion Glover back this season. Glover, who injured his right knee on the first day of training camp, had microfracture surgery last week.

Jones said it would be about six weeks before he could estimate when, or if, Glover would be able to play this season.

The Rockets' hopes that guard Bob Sura could come back from the inactive list to bring the lift he did after last season's similar slow start have grown faint.

Sura, already out after undergoing two offseason knee surgeries, will undergo back surgery today at the University of Miami Medical Center to repair a herniated disk, Rockets trainer Keith Jones said.

Sura missed the first month of last season after suffering a back injury in late September, 2004. He averaged 10.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists, becoming one of just eight NBA players to average at least 10 points with five rebounds and five assists. But his right knee grew worse through the season.

He had his first knee surgery four days after the season ended, but when he failed to respond, a second surgery was performed in October with Sura saying the success of that procedure would determine whether he could ever play again.

In a workout this month, he felt a stabbing pain in his back. Examinations by Dr. Robert Watkins, the surgeon who performed Sura's previous back surgery, uncovered a herniated disk. Today's surgery will be performed by Dr. Barth Green.

Asked if the surgery could keep the 32-year-old guard from coming back this season, Jones said, "We'll see what comes from the surgery. It's possible."

Swingman Tracy McGrady, recovering sooner than initially expected from back spasms, returned for Saturday night's game against the Nets.

The five-time All-Star played in the Rockets' season-opening victory over the Kings and was projected to miss three weeks. Instead, he was out only three games, all losses.

"I've been out six days and it's tough to get myself back into great playing shape," McGrady said. "It's going to be a test to see how I handle it tonight. The back is fine, no pain, no tightness."

Just eight days after Tracy McGrady had to be helped out of the Toyota Center practice gym and a week after the Rockets announced he would be out for three weeks, McGrady could be cleared to play tonight against the New Jersey Nets, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

McGrady went through extensive workouts Thursday at Miami and reported no difficulties with his back Friday morning before going through another session of running and shooting drills Friday night.

He was sore after the Rockets' flight from Miami and traffic-stalled, hour-long bus ride from the airport, but that was not considered indicative of any lingering back problems.

"We're going to keep him as questionable until after shootaround," Rockets trainer Keith Jones said. "He'll go through a normal shootaround, with some extra rehab stuff.

"We're hoping (McGrady will play). If he's feeling good and has done everything today and tomorrow, we'll let him go. Tracy wants to play. He's been pushing since Tuesday and Wednesday, saying he would play (Thursday in Miami). He just was not where we wanted him to be yet."

Houston Rockets star Tracy McGrady gingerly shot baskets but didn't practice during his first on-court activity since straining his back on Friday.

McGrady is expected to miss three weeks. He walked slowly and winced as he bent at the waist between perimeter set shots at the Toyota Center on Monday.

"That's definitely an improvement," McGrady said. "I've been walking around here hunched over for the last three days. This is the first day I've been able to stand straight up and not have any problems."

McGrady suffered the injury doing a reverse layup at Friday's practice. He bumped into Yao Ming, landed awkwardly and immediately felt sharp pain.

"It broke me down, and I couldn't stand up," McGrady said. "It was pretty painful. Gosh, I don't want to go through that anymore."

Rockets star Tracy McGrady will miss three weeks because of back spasms, Coach Jeff Van Gundy said.

McGrady left practice on Friday after hurting his back on a layup. He did not attend the Rockets' game against New Orleans last night.

David Wesley replaced McGrady in the Rockets' starting lineup against the Hornets.

"Every team relies on greatness down the stretch," Van Gundy said. "However, I do believe that good teams can function efficiently with or without one player. Our chore to function without the one player is going to be tested."

The back spasms are the latest in a growing list of injuries that have slowed McGrady in the past few weeks.

The five-time all-star missed Houston's last two preseason games because of tendinitis in both knees. He bruised his left knee in a collision with Yao Ming in the practice before Wednesday's opener against Sacramento.

Tracy McGrady will sit out Saturday night's game against the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets after an awkward landing during practice Friday that sent him limping off the court with back spasms.

"We're treating him for pain associated with back spasms," Rockets trainer Keith Jones said in a statement released by the team. "We'll be treating him throughout the day and evaluating him further."

It is the latest in a series of problems suffered by McGrady since the start of training camp. He sat out the final two preseason games with tendinitis in both knees, then bruised his left knee when he collided with Dikembe Mutombo during the final workout before Wednesday's season opener against the Kings.

"He went up, he dunked the ball, he came down," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "He's been the victim of some unfortunate breaks so far this year as it pertains to injuries. So, we're hopeful."