Tracy McGrady was not with the Houston Rockets for Friday night's game against Golden State because of a death in the family.
Team officials announced that McGrady was out of town but would not give further details.
During All-Star weekend in Houston last Friday, McGrady said he was dealing with some of the worst personal issues of his life and that they had affected his play this season.
He never specified what those issues were, but on Wednesday he said they were behind him.
"That's over with," he said. "It's time to move on. We're not even mentioning that. I'm not going to talk about it."
McGrady followed up his 36-point performance in the All-Star game by scoring 26 in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
Keith Bogans was expected to start in place of McGrady. The Rockets are 0-13 without McGrady this season.
MAGIC WAIVE HARDAWAY: The Orlando Magic waived guard Penny Hardaway on Friday, two days after the team acquired his hefty contract from the New York Knicks.
The Magic dealt three-time All-Star Steve Francis for Hardaway and Trevor Ariza before Thursday's trading deadline. Orlando re-signed Bo Outlaw to fill the extra roster spot.
The move to waive Hardaway was expected. Assistant general manager Otis Smith said the salary cap room freed up by Hardaway's $15.8 million contract, along with the expiring contract of aging All-Star Grant Hill, would make the Magic a major free agent player in 2007.
Though Hardaway began his perennial All-Star career in Orlando, he was blamed for Brian Hill's first dismissal as Magic coach with 33 games left in the 1996-97 season. Hill, the franchise's winningest coach, rejoined the team in May. Orlando dealt Hardaway to Phoenix in 1999, but he never regained the form that made him one of the league's top players.
CAVS KEEP GRAHAM: The Cavaliers signed guard Stephen Graham for the rest of the season and waived forward Lee Nailon on Friday. Graham has averaged three points and 1.7 rebounds in six games with Cleveland after being signed to a pair of 10-day contracts on Feb. 6 and 20. He was released Thursday when the Cavaliers acquired Nailon in a trade with Philadelphia and obtained Flip Murray from Seattle for Mike Wilks in an exchange of guards.
PACER SUSPENDED: Indiana Pacers center David Harrison was suspended for one game without pay by the NBA on Friday for swearing at fans Thursday night in Detroit. Harrison missed the Pacers' home game against Atlanta on Friday night.