"With Thursday's 2 p.m. trade deadline nearing and conversations rampant among the Rockets about the changes it might bring, Rockets coach Rick Adelman said he expected his team to put those concerns aside.

"They have to go out and play the game," Adelman said. "They can't worry about what happens two days from now. In all likelihood, nothing is going to happen.

"It's all over the place, but for the 2½ hours you're on the court, you forget that. We've talked about it so many times, how do you address it? They're talking about it amongst themselves. The most important thing is we need to win a game."

Former Rockets guard Tracy McGrady has turned his season around as the trigger of the Pistons' offense. He was averaging four points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists through the season's first 25 games, but has played better since and Tuesday turned in 10 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

"He's always had that ability," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "His limitations may be there physically where he can't do certain things he used to do, but I always felt ... that he is so smart and he is such a great passer and he really knows the game, if he is healthy enough to go out and play without limping, he is going to impact the game. "