Wafer said he does not think about the key date, and Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said he would not make a decision until necessary, as is Rockets custom with roster moves.

"I don't think about that," Wafer said. "I can't think about that. Whatever is going to happen will happen. I can't live like that. I can't look in the rearview mirror."

Wafer scored 18 fourth-quarter points Friday in a loss at Toronto to earn a start the next night. He scored 17 in another defeat in Atlanta.

"We were just trying to end that game on a good note," Wafer said of his play in Toronto. "I tried to go out and be aggressive, and shots just fell. We just tried to turn the game into a positive.

"You're hungry, and you want to play. You can't sit over there and complain. You play the hand that's dealt."

Lineup headaches

With a day off Sunday and a practice today, guard Tracy McGrady is expected to play Tuesday at Philadelphia rather than Wednesday in Boston in his plan to play one game in each back-to-back.

However, coach Rick Adelman said no decision had been made but that the changing lineups have been difficult.

"We have two days off, but I think we have to look at our whole situation," Adelman said. "It's starting to wear, too, on the guys. We never know who will play and who won't play. I think that's been unsettling."

jonathan.feigen@chron.com

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