BOSTON - The Rockets hoped that guard Chris Paul would return from his strained groin muscle on Friday and were confident that if he does not, he would be back for Sunday's game against the Lakers. But as badly as Paul has been missed, they could not want his return as much as he does.

"I don't think he's been ruled out for tomorrow," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. "He's working out pretty hard. We'll see how he reacts to it. We do want to be cautious. At the same time, he's champing at the bit to get in there and play.

"He's in everybody's ear all the time. He just wants to play. The universe is not right when he's not playing. He wants to get the universe back straight. He can play tomorrow or the Lakers game (on Sunday.)"

Paul left the Dec. 20 game against the Lakers with the injury, missing the three games since. The Rockets are 15-1 in games he plays.

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