Redd out for season

A basketball source has confirmed that Michael Redd suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee on Sunday night in Los Angeles. The injury will sideline the Bucks shooting guard for the rest of the season.

The injury is the same one that Redd suffered nearly one year ago, on Jan. 24 against Sacramento at the Bradley Center. He suffered a torn ACL and torn MCL in his left knee on that night and was lost for the rest of the season.

On Sunday, Redd planted on his left foot as he made a move in the lane during the Bucks' 95-77 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center. He immediately was helped off the court.

Redd had a magnetic resonance imaging exam done in Phoenix on Monday, and the test revealed the ligament tears.

The 30-year-old Redd has been plagued by injuries in recent years. He missed the final 35 games of last season after being injured, and he was out for 16 games earlier this season due to a left patella tendon strain.

Redd has one year remaining on the six-year, $91 million contract he signed with the Bucks in the summer of 2005. The final year of the deal is a player option worth $18 million.

Redd recently spoke with the Journal Sentinel about the struggles he has endured in coming back from knee surgery in March, and the additional frustration after hurting his left patella in the home opener against the Detroit Pistons.

"I've been in funks before, but this is a little different," Redd said. "I'll find my way out of it.

"I hate to put any excuses on it. We all know what I came back from. I'll keep fighting. I won't dwell on the negative.

"I've just got to keep playing, keep playing, keep playing, and it will click."

Redd had played in 18 games this season, including 12 starts, and was averaging 11.9 points and 3.0 rebounds. Redd was in his 10th season with the Bucks, the franchise that selected him out of Ohio State with the 43rd overall pick in the 2000 draft.

But Redd, who recently passed Bobby Dandridge to move into fourth place on the Bucks' all-time scoring list, has played just 51 games in the last two seasons due to injuries.

Kobe tried but failed sans support of finger splint

LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant shot 1 for 14 in the first half against Milwaukee on Sunday night. It was enough to get his attention.

Bryant put the protective splint back on his fractured right index finger at halftime and shot 3 for 7 in the third quarter before sitting out the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ easy victory.

Bryant wanted to go without the splint to “try to get a little flexibility” with the finger, but it turns out the finger isn’t strong enough to shoot without the support of the semi-hard splint. Bryant noticed a lot of his shots in Portland — where he shot 14 for 37 from the field in defeat — coming up short without that support.

“It’s just not strong enough,” Bryant said of the finger, which he said he will now keep splinted again.

One other issue, mentioned by Phil Jackson, besides the avulsion fracture in the top knuckle (part of the bone got pulled off) is that Bryant’s critical middle knuckle on that finger is now very sore. That is largely offsetting whatever healing has occurred in the top knuckle since the injury happened a month ago.

“It is other aspects that are going on with it,” Jackson said. “The second knuckle is probably even more painful than the broken tip, so there is a whole thing going on with that index finger.”

Bryant said he has to navigate swelling in his finger regularly — “the swelling just comes and goes” — and got hit particularly hard on the finger Dec. 26. Bryant still shot 14 for 26 from the field on Dec. 28 in Phoenix, although he was just 1 for 5 on 3-pointers that game.

Bryant said he’ll keep playing through pain, saying with a smile: “I’m a tough American kid.”

New Jersey Nets cut former first-round pick Sean Williams, deal Eduardo Najera to Dallas Mavericks

The Nets cut ties Monday with their troubled former first-round pick, Sean Williams, and sent oft-injured backup Eduardo Najera to Dallas for two backup players, Kris Humphries and Shawne Williams. The release of Williams and the minor trade had been reported over the weekend.

Najera's contract has another two years left on his contract, at $5.4 million, while Humphries is signed through next season at $3.2 million, and Shawne Williams doesn't have a contract beyond this season. So the Nets could pick up more cap space for the summer of 2011 if they part ways with Shawne Williams.

Sean Williams played in 126 games after the Nets took him with the 17th pick overall in 2007. He gained notoriety for having been arrested twice last season. He was primarily a backup in New Jersey, averaging 4.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in 126 games.

Humphries, who turns 25 next month, has been a disappointment since being the 14th player drafted overall in 2005 by Utah. During his first six years in the NBA, he's been a backup forward with Utah, Toronto and Dallas. During his one season with the Mavs, he played in 25 games, averaging 5.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 12.6 minutes per game.

While Sean Williams had his share of off-court troubles in his three seasons with the Nets, their new Shawne Williams comes to New Jersey with his own rap sheet. The Pacers' top pick in 2006 was arrested in Sept. 2007 on a marijuana possession charge during a traffic stop. One of the passengers in the SUV Williams was driving in Indianapolis took responsibility for the drugs. A second passenger was arrested for carrying a 9mm handgun without a license, which also had been stolen.

Shawne Williams, who turns 24 in February, ended up pleading guilty to several driving offenses and was sentenced to 40 hours community service and fined $400. He was traded to Dallas in Oct. 2008 for Eddie Jones. A forward, he had been on the Mavs' inactive list for every game this season.

Three Wizards speak to authorities; Blatche suspended for Tuesday

And so the Wizards were further reduced this morning, down to a mere eight players who could participate fully in practice. Here's the breakdown:

Absentees:

Gilbert Arenas - suspended indefinitely

Javaris Crittenton - excused indefinitely while his situation works itself out

Brendan Haywood, Caron Butler, DeShawn Stevenson - were not seen at practice. Saunders said that players were meeting with authorities. The math is clear.

Present:

Andray Blatche - was here, but was suspended for tomorrow's game against Detroit by Wizards head coach Flip Saunders for conduct detrimental to the team unrelated to the Arenas/Crittenton situation. Saunders said it was a cumulative result of Blatche's behavior during yesterday's loss to New Orleans, a game in which he played 17 minutes, didn't take a single shot and finished with three rebounds, three turnovers and two blocks. After the game, Blatche was seen fully dressed in front of Randy Foye's locker, spraying Foye's cologne on as Wizards trainer Eric Waters asked him if he was coming into the training room for his knee. "Do I look like i care about my knee?" answered Blatche, who then left. In speaking with Wizards staff, it was made clear that the suspension was not based on one incident...

Mike Miller - was in attendance but limited due to his right calf. Said he was headed to get an MRI immediately after practice.

That left eight: JaVale McGee, Fabricio Oberto, Mike James, Randy Foye, Antawn Jamison, Nick Young, Dominic McGuire, and Earl Boykins.

Obviously, the scope of practice was significantly limited.

Lakers' Andrew Bynum on trade rumor: Who, me?

Lakers center Andrew Bynum reacted uniquely when told the New York Post had him all but shipped to Toronto for Chris Bosh in a report.

After scoring 17 points and taking a career-high 18 rebounds in a 95-77 victory Sunday over Milwaukee, Bynum was asked if he had heard the rumor.

"Nah, what rumor is that?" he said.

You for Bosh.

"Ah, that's crazy," he said, smiling sheepishly. "I didn't know that."

He recovered quickly, in case it was true.

"I love playing basketball," he said. "Whatever happens, happens."

Bynum need not worry. He'll be going to Toronto later this month only when the Lakers play a road game against the Raptors.

The 22-year-old is prone to lapses, but the Lakers still believe in his talents.

Not to mention that he is a favorite of the Buss family, specifically of Executive Vice President Jim Buss, who has been given credit by his father, team owner Jerry Buss, for discovering Bynum and making him the 10th pick in the 2005 draft.

Such a scenario also would be difficult to execute for financial reasons. The Raptors would assume $29 million of guaranteed money for Bynum over the next two seasons and a possible $16-million team option for 2012-13 while the Lakers would have their own headaches with Bosh, who can opt out of his contract after this season and become a free agent. They would re-sign him, presumably, but would have to shell out more money for the 25-year-old power forward than Bynum was scheduled to make, pushing them further into high-end luxury-tax territory, which already was making them squeamish.

(Quick flashback to Jerry Buss shifting uncomfortably in his seat when asked in a November interview about having the NBA's largest payroll: "It doesn't thrill me.")

The Lakers have a player payroll of $91.3 million and will currently pay $21.4 million in luxury taxes this season, more than any other team.

In the unlikely event the Lakers trade Bynum this season, it will probably be for a point guard. Derek Fisher is 35 years old and in the last year of his contract. Jordan Farmar is also in the last year of his contract. Shannon Brown has one more year at $2.2 million, but it's at his option.

One last thought: The Lakers already have a pretty good power forward. His name is Pau Gasol.

Lakers' Gasol could practice today

Pau Gasol went through a treadmill workout for the second consecutive day, and if all goes well and he wakes up without any significant pain or soreness in his strained left hamstring, he could practice with his teammates today.

Gasol plans to accompany the Lakers on their two-game trip to play San Antonio on Tuesday and Dallas on Wednesday.

There's a remote chance he could play in those games, but Friday against the Clippers seems more likely.

Gasol sat out for the fourth consecutive game after playing limited minutes in the Lakers' victory Jan. 3 against the Mavericks. He was hurt while warming up for the game and retreated to the locker room after playing a little more than seven minutes.

The Lakers lost two of their first three games without Gasol, who averages 16.8 points, a team-leading 11.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

"I'm very hopeful I'll be back soon," he said before heading to the Staples Center weight room to begin his treadmill workout before the Lakers faced Milwaukee. "How soon, I can't really tell. That's the messed up part about it."

Gasol sat out the season's first 11 games after suffering a strained right hamstring. He said his latest injury isn't as serious and has had no pain or soreness while going about his daily routine. That was not the case with the earlier injury.

"When I'm doing normal stuff, I don't feel anything, which is different from the other time," he said. "It seems to be a lot milder than the other one. I'll see if I can push myself a little bit more and continue to push myself and be out there soon."

Watching the Lakers play has proved difficult, particularly during losses Friday to Portland and Wednesday to the Clippers. The Lakers have not lost three straight games since Gasol was acquired from Memphis on Feb. 1, 2008.

"It's hard, very hard to see the team not playing well and losing and not being out there," he said in his first extended interview since his injury. "I wish we had won each of the games, so I could go through my recovery and not have to go through the stress of watching the team struggle and not been able to help."

The Lakers went into Sunday's game with a 19-3 record with Gasol healthy and in uniform this season. They were 8-3 while he sat out to start the season, and then won 10 consecutive when he returned to the active roster Nov. 19 against Chicago.

"We're always concerned (when Gasol is out)," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "We know Pau takes time to come back from injuries, from any injury he has (but) he hasn't had any significant pain at all doing anything before this, one week out."

Mid-term grade

Jackson gave Ron Artest an incomplete grade when asked about the small forward's play since signing a five-season, $34-million contract with the Lakers last summer.

Jackson added the Lakers were satisfied with Artest's play so far.

Melo in a hurry to help on court

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The court at Arco Arena looks like all the others, with its hardwood and stripes and such. But there's something about this place that has haunted the Nuggets the past fortnight, be it Carmelo Anthony's painful knee injury or two painful losses to the Kings, who are under .500 and without their top scorer.

So it was on this court, following Denver's 102-100 loss Saturday, that Anthony made a proclamation of sorts. Asked about playing tonight against Minnesota at the Pepsi Center, Melo said: "Yeah, man. I got to come back."

Anthony anticipates he will play, his first time since Dec. 28 at Sacramento, when he bruised his right knee (by bumping it against an old friend, Donte Greene). And while the Nuggets went 3-2 in that stretch, including wins over Utah and Cleveland, as Chauncey Billups said: "He's our No. 1 option, so it goes without saying what he does for our offense — he does everything. I think teams play us a little differently when he's not playing, because they know they don't have the one guy who can score 30, 40 points at any given time. So there's a difference when you're playing without him."

Anthony is averaging 30 points per game, and while guys such as Kenyon Martin have thrived offensively with more touches, the fact is the Nuggets (23-14) are 19-5 when Anthony, Billups, Martin and Nene are all in the lineup.

Asked what's missing without him, Anthony said: "Just somebody they can go to down the stretch. My presence is big out there."

Denver's two losses during Anthony's absence were by three points to Philadelphia and by two to the Kings. His big presence might have drawn an extra defender or opened up a space just wide enough for a teammate to squeeze through.

Anthony worked out on the court before Saturday's game, taking shots and bouncing around the perimeter. He said the knee felt better than it had in previous days.

George Karl said in the pregame workout that "it looks like his face is more confident in his leg," and the Denver coach also praised Anthony's teamwork in the forward's time off, saying, "I think Melo trusts our team. Melo has stayed involved, and I think there's a maturation of confidence throughout the team, because of Joey (Graham) playing well and us winning tough games against good teams. He participates in practice, he's in the locker room, he's talking on the bench. Sometimes guys when they're hurt, you can't even find them."

Minnesota at Denver

7 p.m. tonight, ALT, KKHI 101.9 FM

Spotlight on Kevin Love: The second-year big man from UCLA is on a rebounding tear, with recent games of 19, 16 and 16. Love has played only 20 games this season because of an injury. If his rebounding average (12.4) qualified to be among the league leaders, it would rank second.

Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony (bruised right knee) and rookie guard Ty Lawson (sprained left ankle) said they will try to play tonight against Minnesota. . . . Kenyon Martin is averaging 11.6 points this season. But in the past four games, the veteran forward has averaged 20.8. . . . The Nuggets tallied only 12 assists Saturday in their 102-100 loss at Sacramento, just two assists from their season low Nov. 6 at Miami.

Timberwolves: The Northwest Division is anyone's right now. Well, except Minnesota. The Nuggets, Trail Blazers, Jazz and Thunder are within three games of one another, but the Timberwolves are 8-30. . . . Minnesota has lost six of its past seven games. . . . Point guard Jonny Flynn ranks third among NBA rookies in scoring, averaging 14.3 points. . . . One of the Timberwolves' eight victories came Nov. 29 at the Pepsi Center (106-100), where the Nuggets are 15-3.

Buried from the very beginning

Los Angeles — The offensively challenged Milwaukee Bucks got off their six-game Western trip off to an unsightly start Sunday night by getting blown out of the Staples Center, 95-77, by the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Bucks dug themselves into an 18-point hole in the first quarter and had trouble manufacturing points all night as their three-game winning streak ground to a halt.

The Bucks never led in the game.

"You could tell at the beginning that we weren't emotionally into it on the offensive end for whatever reason," coach Scott Skiles said.

"We weren't sharp. I don't know how many balls we shot short, but a lot were short. We looked a little star-struck offensively. Defensively, we were pretty sharp. We hung in for a while and then they just blew it open."

It doesn't get any easier for the Bucks who will continue their trip Monday night in Phoenix and will then move on to Portland, Golden State and Utah this week before ending the trip next week in Houston.

"Obviously, we have a huge, huge challenge coming up," said Skiles.

Reserve forward Hakim Warrick sparked a second-quarter rally and was high-point man for the Bucks with 14 points. Milwaukee shot 34.1%, got clobbered on the boards, and got to the foul line only 13 times and made 9 free throws.

"For a while it looked like we might set a franchise record for fewest points in a game," said Skiles. "We had such a hard time getting anything going. "

Bucks guard Michael Redd left the game late in the second quarter after hurting his left knee and went immediately to the locker room.

Redd, who missed all four of his shots and was scoreless, did not return. Skiles said afterward that the severity of the injury was not yet know.

Lakers center Andrew Bynum started strong and finished with 17 points and a career-high 18 rebounds. Reserves Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar scored 19 and 17 points, respectively. The Lakers won on a night when Kobe Bryant scored 12 points on 4-of-21 shooting. The Lakers made 25 of 30 free throws.

The Bucks got off to a horrible start and found themselves behind after one quarter, 24-8. Bynum powered the Lakers with 12 points.

Bynum sank two short jumpers, scored twice on offensive rebounds, made two free throws, and threw down one thunderous dunk to propel the Lakers to a 22-4 lead.

The Lakers scored 15 straight points to attain that lead. The Bucks made two of their first 17 shots before Warrick ended the dry spell by sinking a short jumper to cut the lead to 22-6 with 2:10 left.

Warrick scored the Bucks first eight points of the second quarter and, along with Charlie Bell, sparked a 13-2 run that trimmed the lead to 28-23.

"Hakim came in and gave us a lift," said Skiles. "But it's a very difficult game to judge anybody individually because overall we played so poorly."

A pair of jumpers by Brown pushed the lead to nine and with the Bucks unable to make a shot, the Lakers led at halftime, 39-28.

The Lakers shot only 30.8% in the first half but made 15 of 17 free throws. The Bucks shot 28.8% and Warrick made their only two free throws. The Bucks starters scored four points in the first half on a combined 2 of 15 shooting.

A three-point basket by Derek Fisher gave the Lakers a 46-31 lead early in the third quarter. Bryant, who made 1 of 10 shots in the first half, began taking the ball aggressively to the basket and scored six straight Los Angeles points to give the Lakers a 52-37 lead. The Lakers led by 19 points after three quarters.

On to Phoenix.

Nuggets blow lead, fall to Kings

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — One night after seeing Cleveland's King James, the Nuggets saw Kings rookie Tyreke Evans who, well, looked like the King.

All season, Nuggets coach George Karl has praised Evans, and Saturday was the first time Karl saw him in person. If it were any other night, Karl would have loved the show. Instead, Karl glumly walked to the locker room a loser, 102-100, because the likely rookie of the year hit an unflappable fadeaway jumper with 0.7 seconds left. Evans shot 10-for-15 from the field for 27 points, and he drove the baseline like a fullback, fearlessly popping jumpers in Nuggets' faces and, of course, hitting the game-winner.

"He made a pretty good move," said Karl, whose team had a chance after Evans' basket but J.R. Smith's contested launch didn't come close.

"Kenyon (Martin) got a pretty good hand on (Evans' shot). The only question I had was do you double him (earlier). I can't fault the play. Kenyon's probably our best individual defender."

The Nuggets tallied only 12 assists — an unacceptable number, considering point guard Chauncey Billups was back in the lineup (to be fair, Sacramento had 12 as well).

"It's not something that concerns me — I know we're not being selfish," Billups said.

In an airtight fourth quarter, the Nuggets found themselves trailing by three with 15 seconds left, but Karl calmly drew up a perfect and pretty simple play — Billups would inbounds from the left sideline to Nene, who would hand it off to Billups near the top of the key. The play worked, all right. Billups sank a fadeaway 3, over Evans, to set up the final basket.

The Nuggets marked Evans with the tenacious Martin, who was forced into the lane by the rookie. Evans then pulled up and hit the fadeaway that they'll talk about all season long in Sacramento, where the upstart Kings (15-21) have defeated the Nuggets (23-14) for the second time this season.

Potential

all-star starter Carmelo Anthony returned to Sacramento, the site of his last game played. But Melo missed his fifth straight game since banging knees with Sacramento's Donte Greene on Dec. 28. Anthony (bruised right knee) will likely return Monday against Minnesota. Same for rookie guard Ty Lawson (sprained left ankle), who missed his second straight game. "It's going to be Monday — it's gotten a lot better the last couple of games," Lawson said.

On Friday night in the win over Cleveland, Karl complimented the unpredictable Smith for his "huge" performances down the stretch. Indeed, Smith hit a big 3 and played some defense. But that overshadowed the fact he was 3-for-10 from the field.

On Saturday, Smith was similarly inconsistent with his shooting, finishing 8-for-21 from the field, including 2-for-8 from 3-point range.

Smith missed two straight free throws in the fourth quarter and made arguably the most infamous play of the season in the third, catching an air-balled jumper that grazed the net and stepping out of bounds to inbounds the ball, as if it were a made basket.

Nuggets Recap

What you might have missed

Forward Joey Graham played aggressive offense to start the game. In fact, he was the first Nugget to score in double figures. But he got in foul trouble and finished with 11.

Final thought

Twelve assists and 14 missed 3-pointers won't cut it on the road.

Up next

Vs. Minnesota, Monday, 7 p.m.

NBA notebook: Mike Dunleavy says Blake Griffin is close to practing

Dunleavy: Griffin close to practicing

Injured Los Angeles Clippers rookie Blake Griffin might finally join his teammates in practice later this week, but only for running and shooting, coach Mike Dunleavy told the Los Angeles Times.

Griffin, the former Oklahoma star who was the NBA’s No. 1 draft pick, is still waiting to make his debut after suffering a stress fracture in his left kneecap.

He has been steadily rehabilitating the knee, but no timetable has been set for when he’ll play his first regular-season game or, for that matter, when he’ll first practice when contact with other players is involved.

But Griffin is nearly ready to join his teammates for a so-called "5 and 0” practice drill, in which "we have our team running up and down full court, full speed, running plays and things of that nature" without a defense on the court, Dunleavy told the Times.

"I would assume that to be, like, next week at some point,” Dunleavy said.

Gasol taking recovery slowly

Pau Gasol spent another game night stretching, warming up and working out on an elliptical machine before joining the team on the bench.

How many more nights will the Lakers forward spend in the training room rather than on the court? Good question.

Gasol said before Sunday’s game he is taking his recovery from a strained hamstring slowly because when he tried to rush back after straining his other hamstring during the preseason, it set him back. He has said the strain in his left hamstring is much milder than the other one.

“(Before) I was out a little longer because of testing it too many times and trying to take steps forward every single day,” Gasol said. “I’m being extra cautious because of what I went through with the other one.”

Gasol said he continues to feel a pull in his left hamstring and experienced soreness after a brief time running on the treadmill Saturday.

“As long as I feel that and have a matter of discomfort and it increases when you do activity, you are not in a good place. It is the wrong place to be,” he said.

“We’ll see how the workout goes tonight. If there’s soreness or discomfort and I feel it’s not appropriate to practice, I won’t.”

Gasol is finding it difficult not to push himself after watching the Lakers lose two in a row — to the Clippers and Trail Blazers.

“It’s been very hard to be there and see the team not playing well and losing and I’m not being out there,” Gasol said. “It’s extremely hard. I wish we had won the games I’m not playing so I could focus on my recovery and not have to go through the stress of watching the team have trouble and not being able to help.”

New Orleans Hornets defeat Washington Wizards, 115-110

Antawn Jamison was hitting those awkward floaters and hooks. Brendan Haywood was catching the ball inside for easy layups and dunks. Nick Young was knocking down fadeaway jumpers. Randy Foye was going toe-to-toe with all-star point guard Chris Paul, driving to the basket and making sweet passes to his teammates. And after the game, Coach Flip Saunders was quoting Albert Einstein.

With their best player, Gilbert Arenas, currently not allowed to come near the team, the Washington Wizards did just about everything right on Sunday. They had more rebounds and shot the ball better than the New Orleans Hornets.

But Saunders didn't invoke Einstein because of his genius coaching; it was because of the way the Wizards kept turning over the ball, which proved most costly in a 115-110 loss at Verizon Center. The Wizards (12-23) committed 19 turnovers, including three on four possessions late in the fourth quarter, when the Hornets turned a tie game into a seven-point lead in less than two minutes.

"It's like Einstein said: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results," Saunders said. "If we continue to turn the ball over, these are the results that happen."

Saunders is probably going a little crazy because he remains stuck on career win No. 599. When the season began, he surely couldn't have expected that he would still be in search of his 600th victory in the second week of January. But that remains the case for Saunders and the Wizards, who shot 57.5 percent and had five players score in double figures but continue to find ways to lose -- games and players.

Shooting guard Mike Miller returned on Friday after missing the previous 21 games with a strained right calf and helped the Wizards get an emotional win over the Orlando Magic. But Miller was limited to just five points in about 14 minutes against the Hornets and was forced to leave the game early in the third quarter after his injured calf flared up again. After the game, Miller lowered his head, pulled a scarf over it and appeared somewhat choked up as he explained that he would need an MRI exam on Monday to make sure he didn't do any serious damage to the leg.

"I just couldn't move," Miller said. "It's like playing with a spasm in your leg. I think it's from playing a lot of minutes the other night. Maybe I came back a little early, who knows? I hope it's nothing serious."

Jamison led the Wizards with 32 points and also had eight rebounds, but he didn't touch the ball for more than five minutes after giving the Wizards a 96-95 lead with 6 minutes 4 seconds remaining. "You can't keep on going to him. You have to give him a little bit of a blow," Saunders said. "We shot 58 percent from the field, so it wasn't our ability to score. It's a matter of our ability not to turn the ball over to get in position to score."

Young had a pregame chat with Tim Floyd, his former coach at Southern California and a Hornets assistant, who encouraged him to "keep doing it." Young responded by scoring 20 points, including a layup and fadeaway jumper to tie the score at 101. On the next possession, Young drove to the hoop but instead of taking another shot, he tried an over-the-shoulder pass to Brendan Haywood that went over Haywood's hands and out of bounds.

Paul (26 points, 14 assists) answered with a 15-foot jumper and Young again lost the ball on the next possession, setting up a James Posey three-pointer that gave the Hornets a 106-101 lead. After Paul made 1 of 2 free throws, Foye (season-high 23 points, eight assists) hit a three-pointer to bring the Wizards within three, but after another Paul jumper, Foye dribbled the ball out of bounds following a poor exchange with Young. "We fought so hard," Young said. "To have that happen at the end, it hurts."

Haywood was 7 for 7 from the field and had 14 points and 14 rebounds. He has made 13 consecutive shots over the past two games, becoming the first Wizards player to accomplish that feat since former No. 1 pick Kwame Brown in March 2004. "I don't want that record. I don't want to be with him," Haywood said.

The Wizards are now 1-2 since the NBA suspended Arenas indefinitely on Wednesday. Fans arriving at the arena were welcomed with a "Wizards Care" banner on the Sixth Street facade of the building, replacing the one that featured Arenas. The slogan on the new banner reads: "On your team, on the court and in the community, Wizards care."

DeShawn Stevenson honored Arenas by writing the words, "AGENT" and "ZERO," in red marker on the tape around his shins and just above the tops of his shoes. "He's still part of the team, right?" Stevenson said. "He's my brother. I'm going to stick with him through rough times."

Jamison added that it's a difficult time for the team to be without Arenas. "But you have to be professional about it and go out there and play the game. He's always going to come across our minds," Jamison said of Arenas, "and you just wish he was playing with you."

Golden State Warriors sign Cartier Martin to 10-day contract

The Warriors signed swingman Cartier Martin to a 10-day contract, the team announced Sunday.

The 25-year-old Martin is a call-up from the NBA Development League's Iowa Energy, where he averaged 14.4 points and 4.3 rebounds in 12 games this season. The 6-foot-7 Martin, who went undrafted out of Kansas State in 2007, began last season with the Energy before being called-up by the Charlotte Bobcats, for whom he played 33 games and averaged 2.6 points and 1.0 rebound in 8.1 minutes per contest.

Martin was with the Warriors during the Summer League in Las Vegas, where he averaged 19.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.33 steals and 1 block in 29.3 minutes over three games.

The Warriors' roster now stands at 16 players. The Warriors are able to add Martin to the roster under the NBA's hardship rules, which allow a team the ability to sign an additional player if that team already has 15 players on its Active and Inactive Lists and has four-or-more players unable to perform playing services due to injury or illness for an extended period of time.

Celtics early to rise in triumph over Raptors

TORONTO - We welcome those of you who have been watching the Patriots [team stats]’ season . . .

Here yesterday afternoon, in the final minute of the Celtics [team stats]’ 114-107 victory over the Raptors, Doc Rivers turned to a reporter and asked, “Patriots winning?”

The coach was stunned at the reply, but the point was clear: In the midst of a stretch that will see them play six games in nine days, the Celts had moved on.

And they took this one in a rather Raven-ous way.

Rajon Rondo [stats] had a triple-double and Rasheed Wallace was able to get his long-distance calls answered, but the overall key was the way the Celtics began the 1 p.m. affair. Just as Baltimore threw 24 points at the Pats in the opening quarter, the C’s ripped the Raptors for the game’s first 10 points.

Rondo fed Wallace (season-high 29 points) and Kendrick Perkins [stats] for layups, then found Ray Allen and Paul Pierce [stats] for treys to acquire four assists in the first 92 seconds.

“The first two to the rim, I drew (Chris) Bosh, and Rasheed and Perk just ducked in,” said Rondo, who finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists. “I just gave them open looks.”

Prior to the game, Rivers took note of his players speaking with raspy voices and cracked, “I think that’s the 1 o’clock start more than anything. What the hell’s wrong with these Canadians? What the hell’s wrong with you guys? Don’t you sleep on Sunday?”

But with the Raptors playing 10 home games with tipoffs between noon and 1 p.m. this season, the Celts clearly wanted to take them out of their comfort zone.

“They’re the younger team,” Wallace said. “It was an early game for us, but we knew that we had to come out focused because we knew they were going to try to run it up in the first five or six minutes of the game. We just came out stronger.”

Toronto did close the gap to two in the opening frame and trailed just 29-26 at its end, but the Celts had made their points. They shot 60 percent in the second quarter and led 59-50 at the half, and it seemed their ball movement was already there to produce open shots when needed.

The C’s ended up launching 26 treys for the game, hitting 11, but Rivers thought these were better attempts than usual. Rondo set the tone when he directed the two layups before going outside.

“We felt in the last couple of games that we’re driving and throwing the ball out of the paint,” Rivers said. “We showed on film that we needed to drive and keep the ball in the paint. Then we got the 3 after that. And that’s our premise: If you get some inside, all of a sudden everybody shrinks and you get the 3’s. I thought us starting down low with drives and posts led to the Rasheed 3’s, the Ray 3’s and the Eddie (House) 3’s.”

The Celtics led by 14 after a Rondo hook with 5:42 left in the game, but Bosh (31 points) hit a jumper to complete a 14-4 reply and make it a four-point game with 1:46 left.

Then Perkins, who had missed a pair of free throws a minute earlier, rebounded a Wallace miss, was fouled and hit both shots. When Wallace stole the ball from Andrea Bargnani and Pierce hit a 20-footer, the game was essentially over and Rivers was looking for a football score.

The Raptors have won eight of their last 10 games, but both losses came to the Celtics.

Rasheed Wallace discovers trey touch

TORONTO - The discrepancy is rather striking. Coming into yesterday’s game in Toronto, Rasheed Wallace had hit more than half his shots from inside the arc (52.1 percent). But he was just a .396 hitter overall because he’d taken 20 more 3-pointers than 2’s and made just 28.7 percent of them.

Previous coaches have tried to trick Wallace into going inside more, and the Celtics [team stats] have politely made the suggestion on a few occasions. But overall they are content to take Wallace at Sheed value. Certainly yesterday.

Starting again for Kevin Garnett, Wallace made 5-of-7 treys and 9-of-12 overall from the floor on the way to a season-high 29 points in the 114-107 win against the Raptors.

When Wallace is hitting well from long range, the effect is, according to Ray Allen, “big-time, because my guy has to decide whether or not to help. It’s a full rotation out there. It makes teams have to make a decision.”

Wallace shrugged off the hot shooting day.

“Just open shots,” he said. “That’s all, open shots. Just basic basketball, like I’ve always been saying. Just (yesterday) I decided to hit them.”

Road-weary

Having just completed a stretch in which they played 7-of-8 on the road, the Celtics have played 20 games out of town and 15 at home. That means the scales will be tipping in their favor.

“I know it will,” said coach Doc Rivers. “You just know it has to. We’ve been on the road forever. But we’ve played pretty well on the road this year, so with the schedule we’ve had, that’s a good thing.

“The second half of the year we’ll have far more practice time, and I think that’ll make us a better team.”

But with three games in the next four nights ending a run of six in nine, it’s hard for the Celts to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“I looked at the schedule and I don’t see it really changing much for a while,” said Allen. “We go home and then we go right back out. We play (tonight) and then I’ve got to pack again. We’re almost like on a roller coaster right now, back and forth, up and down.

“But it’s got to happen some time, based on all the road games we’ve had. I’m thinking trend-wise it should go in our favor at some point. We’re still out and back a lot, but maybe it’ll feel better because we won’t be staying out so long.”

KG in and out

Garnett entered and left the building quietly yesterday. His hyperextended right knee will be re-evaluated today, but the bigger decisions will likely come toward the end of the week.

“We knew he wasn’t going to play on this trip, so I didn’t even bother to ask about it,” said Rivers. “I think when we get back I’ll have a better evaluation - actually when we get back and get through these three more games then I’ll have a better answer. Hopefully (he’ll return) soon after that, but I don’t actually know that.” . . .

Allen was wearing a bandage on his nose. He was shooting free throws before the Atlanta game and a stray rebound caught him in the face. . . .

The league appeared to be running a special on defensive three-second violations. The referees called four of them yesterday, two on each team.

Rajon Rondo hits a triple

TORONTO - Rajon Rondo [stats]’s triple-double didn’t catch him by surprise. Friends with stat sheets let him know at the midpoint of yesterday’s 114-107 triumph over the Raptors that, with nine points, six rebounds and nine assists, he was close.

“They told me,” Rondo said. “At halftime, T-Lue (assistant coach Tyronn Lue) threatened me, so I had to go out there and get it done.”

The last number to fall into line in his 22-point, 10-rebound, 13-assist afternoon was a piece of glass.

“I had like 12 guys over on the bench telling me to get a rebound,” he said.

Rondo completed the feat by pulling in a Hedo Turkoglu miss with 7:08 left.

It’s his first triple-double of the season and third of his career in the regular season. Rondo had three in last year’s playoffs.

“It’s nice to have it, but the biggest thing is we got the win,” he said. “I’d hate to get a triple-double or have a great game and we lose. It means nothing.

“But we’ve got another game tomorrow night, so you have to move on. It ain’t like I got a week to sit back and think about it. It’s on to the next.”

Rondo’s day also included a banked-in 3-pointer in the first quarter. That made him 3-for-3 from long distance in the last two games after hitting just 3-of-27 to start the season. The last three attempts have all been necessitated by a dwindling 24-second clock.

“Yeah, I’m getting hot right now, huh?” he said with a smile. “I’m shooting them in practice. I’m shooting them before the game. I’m just trying to extend my range, but that’s not my focus. It’s just that I had to shoot those shots at the time. You know, I’d rather drive all day long.”

And the bank shot?

“Yeah, I called the glass,” he said.

Scouting report: Hawks at Celtics

TONIGHT - 7 p.m., TD Garden. TV - CSN. Radio - WEEI-AM (850).

THE NUMBERS

2-0: Atlanta’s record against the C’s this season.

7: Straight wins by the Celts in the regular-season series before this year.

14: Points scored by Jamal Crawford in the fourth quarter of a win over the Celtics [team stats] on Friday night in Atlanta.

WHO’S HOT

For the C’s, Rasheed Wallace made 9-of-11 shots on the way to a season-high 29 points yesterday in Toronto.

WHO’S NOT

For the C’s, Glen Davis is shooting just 16.7 percent from the floor over the last three games (2-for-12) and 35.5 percent in seven games this season.

WHO’S HURT

For the C’s, Marquis Daniels (left thumb surgery) and h (hyperextended right knee) are out. The Hawks are healthy.

BOTTOM LINE

The Hawks have had the C’s number, and the Celts were saying after the Friday night loss that they have to take this opponent more seriously. The key will be on the boards, where the Celtics need to keep Atlanta from getting second chances.

LeBron James blazes a big Trail

LeBron James had 41 points and 10 rebounds and the Cleveland Cavaliers held off a fourth-quarter Trail Blazers rally to win, 106-94, last night in Portland, Ore.

Shaquille O’Neal had 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who won their sixth straight against the Blazers.

James was 8-for-8 from the floor for 20 points in the first quarter alone. He finished 13-of-19 from the field and made 12-of-14 free-throw attempts.

Brandon Roy scored 34 points for the Blazers, who trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half but rallied late, closing to 76-74 on two consecutive 3-pointers from Martell Webster and Andre Miller’s layup.

Portland didn’t get any closer until Roy’s 3-pointer with 6:55 left tied it at 87.

Hornets 115, Wizards 110 - Chris Paul scored eight of his 26 points in the final three minutes to lead visiting New Orleans past Washington for its sixth straight win.

Peja Stojakovic scored 20 points, and Paul added 14 assists for the Hornets, who have won three straight away from home to improve their record to 5-13.

Antawn Jamison tied his season-high with 32 points, and Foye had 23 starting in place of the suspended Gilbert Arenas.

Wizard reserve guard DeShawn Stevenson took to the court during pregame warmups with the words “AGENT” and “ZERO” - Arenas’ nickname - written in red capital letters on tape wrapped just above his ankles to honor his teammate. The club isn’t showing that kind of love, removing all Arenas-related merchandise from the arena and editing him out of the pregame video.

Heat 94, Clippers 84 - Chris Kaman had 22 points and 14 rebounds, Baron Davis had 11 points and 14 assists, and revitalized Los Angeles surged to its sixth straight home victory by beating Miami.

Eric Gordon scored 17 points and Rasual Butler added 13 for the Clippers. Dwyane Wade scored 24 points for the Heat, who have lost five of seven to drop within one game of .500.

Spurs 97, Nets 85 - Manu Ginobili scored 21 points to lead host San Antonio over New Jersey.

The Spurs received strong support from their reserves, who combined for 59 points, with Ian Mahinmi posting career bests in points (15) and rebounds (9) in his first appearance of the season.

Brook Lopez scored 28 points and Yi Jianlian added 16 for the Nets, who lost for the 34th time in 37 games.

Lakers 95, Bucks 77 - Los Angeles held visiting Milwaukee to just eight first-quarter points to cruise to an easy victory, with Kobe Bryant only scoring 12 points on 4-of-21 shooting.

Shannon Brown came off the bench to lead the Lakers with 19 points, while reserve Jordan Famar added 17. Andrew Bynum put up 17 points and pulled down 18 rebounds, while Lamar Odom had 17 boards.

Hakim Warrick led the Bucks with 14 points.

New Jersey waives former No. 1 pick Sean Williams

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Former first-round draft pick Sean Williams has been waived by the New Jersey Nets.

Nets president Rod Thorn released the 17th overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft on Monday.

Williams, a 6-foot-10 forward out of Boston College, averaged 4.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 126 career games. He saw limited action in 20 games this season, averaging 2.6 points and 2.3 rebounds.

Kobe Bryant is off mark but other Lakers step up in 95-77 win over Bucks

LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant has made plenty of history with the Los Angeles Lakers, be it an 81-point game, an entire chapter of game-winning shots and, above all, an overall performance level that has netted him 11 All-Star appearances and four championships rings.

He made history of a different type Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks, making four of 21 shots (19 percent) in one of his worst shooting games ever.

Good thing he had Andrew Bynum and a couple of keyed-up reserve guards as teammates.

Bynum had 17 points and a career-high 18 rebounds, and Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar combined for 36 points in the Lakers’ 95-77 victory over Milwaukee at Staples Center.

Bryant finished with 12 points in what is believed to be the second-worst shooting game of his career when taking more than 15 shots. He was two for 16 (12.5 percent) in the Lakers’ 82-72 loss to Memphis on Dec. 20, 2004.

He missed his first nine shots and didn’t score a basket until a fastbreak layup with 2 minutes 12 seconds left in the second quarter.

Maybe his finger is affecting him more than he’s saying publicly, though he was pretty public when asked whether it played into his shooting woes Sunday.

"I tried to play with the splint off," Bryant said. "I put it back on in the second half. I was just trying to get a little bit more flexibility back. The finger felt pretty good so we tried to go without the splint. It’s just not strong enough yet."

He had held up well since suffering an avulsion fracture in his right index finger exactly one month ago, but went 10 for 30 (33.3 percent) against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday and 14 for 37 (37.8 percent) against Portland on Friday.

Bynum, meanwhile, has three consecutive double-doubles after going 23 games in a row without even one.

And in words that had never been written, Brown was the Lakers’ leading scorer, making eight of 12 shots and finishing with 19 points. Farmar had 17 points on five-for-eight shooting.

The game plodded along, the Lakers winning mainly because their shooting was slightly less askew than the Bucks, when their reserves picked it up with a push near the end of the third quarter.

Adam Morrison made a three-point basket, followed by one from Lamar Odom, then a 17-foot shot by Farmar, a 17-foot shot by Brown and, the topper, a 40-foot three-point basket from Brown that beat the end-of-the-quarter buzzer and put the Lakers up, 65-46.

Brown added some highlight-worthy defense in the fourth quarter, blocking a layup try by Luke Ridnour and, on the same possession, blocking a layup try by Brandon Jennings.

Consecutive losses to the Clippers and Portland ignited the Lakers, Brown said.

"It’s a big wake-up call," he said.

The Bucks were in a historical mood themselves, setting a team record for fewest points against the Lakers, undercutting their 82-point total in a Feb. 1973 game.

The Bucks made only 31 of 91 shots (34.1 percent). It didn’t help that Michael Redd left in the second quarter because of what the Bucks said was knee soreness.

The Lakers were also short-handed, Pau Gasol sitting out a fourth consecutive game because of a strained left hamstring and Ron Artest leaving the game midway through the third quarter after complaining of dizziness, Coach Phil Jackson said.

Artest banged his head on the court after getting fouled by Redd 13 seconds into the game. After the game, Artest said he felt OK but acknowledged being "nervous" after taking a blow to the head four games into his return from a concussion.

Power Rankings: West playoff picture gets crowded

Having missed the playoffs, the 2008-09 Phoenix Suns were thought to have had a bad season. The Shaq experiment was a disaster and Terry Porter's slow-down style had failed. But the Suns finished 10 games above .500 and had a better record than four playoff teams in the East last season.

Now, this isn't another call to change the postseason format. But it is a call to take a close look at the current Western Conference standings.

Right now, there are two teams above .500, New Orleans and Utah, who are on the outside of the playoff picture. But there are also two more teams, Memphis at 18-18 and the Clippers at 17-18, hovering around that 0.500 mark.

Since Nov. 20, both the Grizzlies and Clippers have better records than five of the current playoff teams in the West. They got off to slow starts, but have been playing well for the last seven or eight weeks.

So right now, we've got 12 good teams in the Western Conference. Four of them will miss the playoffs. And is any team other than the Lakers really safe from slipping into the lottery?

Be thankful for your League Pass subscription, because each time two of these teams meet over the next three months, it will be a critical game. For much of the Western Conference, the playoffs start now.

• Last Week: Bumps in the road for the Big Four

Hero Team of the Week: L.A. Clippers (3-0)
Zero Team of the Week: Detroit (0-3)

High jumps of the week: L.A. Clippers (+4), New Orleans (+4), Toronto (+4), Washington (+4)
Free falls of the week: Houston (-5), Memphis (-4), Chicago (-3), Detroit (-3)

East vs. West: The West leads 121-80 (0.602) in inter-conference games and was 12-4 this week.

Pace: Possessions per 48 minutes (League Rank)
Off: Points scored per 100 possessions (League Rank)
Def: Points allowed per 100 possessions (League Rank)
The league averages through Sunday are 95.4 possessions (per team) per 48 minutes and 103.9 points scored per 100 possessions.

NBA.com's Power Rankings are just one man's opinion and are released every Monday during the season. If you've got an issue with the rankings, or have a question or comment for John Schuhmann, send him an e-mail. You can also follow him on twitter.

	TEAM (LAST WEEK)	REC.	BREAKDOWN
1	Cleveland (2)	29-10	Pace: 93.0 (28), Off: 108.1 (6), Def: 99.9 (4) The Cavs' defense has been slipping (104.8 rating over the last six games), but they've been sharp offensively. They shot 57 percent against the Wizards on Wednesday and turned the ball over just seven times in Portland on Sunday.
2	L.A. Lakers (1)	29-8	Pace: 97.1 (7), Off: 105.3 (12), Def: 98.1 (1) Keep a close eye on the Lakers for the rest of January. They've lost three straight on the road, where they play 10 of their next 12, including a tough Texas back-to-back this week. They also play the Magic (home), Cavs (away) and Celtics (away) this month.
3	Boston (3)	26-9	Pace: 94.3 (22), Off: 106.8 (9), Def: 98.1 (2) As expected, the Celtics' defense has suffered (108.5 rating) with Kevin Garnett out for the last five games. There's no preserving Rajon Rondo, who has averaged more than 45 minutes over the last three, after sitting out a game with a sore hamstring.
4	Dallas (6)	25-12	Pace: 94.5 (19), Off: 105.8 (10), Def: 101.3 (8) The Mavs were missing Josh Howard and Drew Gooden against Utah on Saturday, but it was their third sub-par defensive game of the last four. They've only dropped two straight once this season, but host the Lakers (who smoked them a week ago) on Wednesday.
5	Portland (5)	23-16	Pace: 89.9 (30), Off: 107.4 (7), Def: 103.5 (15) It was an interesting week in Blazer-land. Back-to-back losses were followed by a loud "discussion" between Nate McMillan and Andre Miller in practice. Then they got a huge win over the Lakers and almost pulled off a big comeback against the Cavs.
6	Orlando (4)	25-12	Pace: 95.2 (15), Off: 107.2 (8), Def: 100.4 (5) After losing four straight, Saturday's blowout over the Hawks was critical for the Magic's collective psyche. But the 15 assists on 43 field goals continued a trend of decreased ball movement, which may be why Stan Van Gundy is talking about a lineup change.
7	San Antonio (7)	22-13	Pace: 93.7 (25), Off: 108.8 (4), Def: 101.5 (9) Tuesday's game between the Spurs and Lakers is definitely a must-watch, but it might have more oomph behind it if San Antonio didn't give up 42 points in the fourth quarter to the Mavs on Friday. Those 12 minutes kept the Spurs out of second place in the West.
8	Phoenix (8)	23-14	Pace: 98.7 (4), Off: 111.9 (1), Def: 107.7 (26) The Suns have been improved since Christmas, but still haven't won three straight since November. Steve Nash's 30 turnovers over the last five games are the most of any five-game stretch of his career. He still runs the league's most efficient offense.
9	Atlanta (9)	23-13	Pace: 94.0 (23), Off: 108.9 (2), Def: 103.3 (14) Though they were only two games removed from a 2-6 stretch, the Hawks had a chance to take the Southeast lead on Saturday. But they fell flat and got blown out in Florida for the second time in six days. They're looking to go 3-0 against the Celtics on Monday.
10	Denver (10)	23-14	Pace: 98.0 (5), Off: 108.8 (3), Def: 104.3 (18) The Nuggets' last four games have all been determined by three points or less. Chauncey Billups' return helped in Friday's win over the Cavs, but the team's mediocre defense couldn't stop Tyreke Evans a night later. Carmelo Anthony is expected back Monday.
	TEAM (LAST WEEK)	REC.	BREAKDOWN
11	Oklahoma City (12)	20-16	Pace: 94.8 (16), Off: 103.1 (21), Def: 101.0 (6) Kevin Durant is on one of those runs. He's averaging 32.7 points on a scorching 57 percent shooting over the last 10 games. The Thunder are just 2-9 against the other seven playoff teams in the West and play two of them (Spurs and Mavs) this week.
12	Toronto (16)	19-19	Pace: 95.2 (14), Off: 108.4 (5), Def: 110.1 (30) It's funny that the Chris Bosh trade rumors got out of control with the Raptors playing their best ball of the season. Before Sunday's loss to the Celtics, they had won eight of their last nine, and they're still within a half game of the Heat for fifth in the East.
13	New Orleans (17)	19-16	Pace: 94.3 (21), Off: 103.7 (18), Def: 105.8 (20) The Hornets have won six straight and had their best offensive game of the season (115 points on 98 possessions) Sunday in Washington. With the Sixers, Clippers, Pistons and Pacers this week, they've got a shot at climbing into the top seven in the West.
14	Utah (14)	20-17	Pace: 94.8 (17), Off: 104.4 (14), Def: 102.6 (12) The Utah offense had been asleep for a few weeks, but seems to have woken up. They had six guys in double-figures and four with at least four assists on the road against a good defensive team (Dallas) on Saturday. That's a good sign.
15	Miami (15)	18-17	Pace: 93.6 (26), Off: 104.0 (17), Def: 102.4 (11) Despite Rajon Rondo's last second alley-oop on Wednesday, it was looking like a pretty strong week for Dwyane Wade and the Heat ... until Sunday's loss to the Clippers. They had as little energy in L.A. as the Hawks had in Miami on Monday.
16	Houston (11)	21-16	Pace: 95.7 (11), Off: 103.6 (19), Def: 103.9 (16) Saturday's win over the Knicks ended the Rockets' first three-game losing streak of the season. Their only win in their last six road games was in New Jersey, but they play nine of their next 11 at the Toyota Center, where they've won seven straight.
17	Memphis (13)	18-18	Pace: 96.2 (9), Off: 105.8 (11), Def: 107.8 (27) The Grizzlies got two out of three against the Blazers and Jazz this week, but were anemic offensively on Saturday in Charlotte. They're now 0-8, the only winless team other than the Nets, on the second night of back-to-backs. They've got another this week.
18	L.A. Clippers (22)	17-18	Pace: 94.4 (20), Off: 102.1 (22), Def: 103.1 (13) Since getting whooped in Phoenix on Christmas, the Clippers have beat the Celtics, Blazers and Lakers, have been playing great defense (97.4 rating over six games), and have their longest winning streak (four games) in 26 months.
19	New York (18)	15-21	Pace: 96.0 (10), Off: 104.2 (15), Def: 105.3 (19) The Knicks have yet to crack the top eight in the East, but they've got a pretty weak schedule over the next four weeks, playing Detroit, Minnesota and Washington twice each. Wilson Chandler is averaging 19.5 points on 55 percent shooting since Christmas.
20	Charlotte (20)	16-19	Pace: 93.4 (27), Off: 98.0 (27), Def: 98.8 (3) Gerald Wallace's game-winning put-back on Saturday may have been the best instinctual play of the year. At 4-1, Charlotte is the East's best team in 2010. Interestingly, their only loss (Thursday in New York) came when they had a season-low seven turnovers.
	TEAM (LAST WEEK)	REC.	BREAKDOWN
21	Milwaukee (23)	15-19	Pace: 95.5 (12), Off: 99.0 (25), Def: 101.1 (7) It took only 13 games for Michael Redd to get injured again. The Bucks have actually been better defensively (-2.3 points per 100 possessions) and much worse offensively (-5.9) since Redd's return. He'll have an MRI on his left knee Monday in Phoenix.
22	Chicago (19)	15-20	Pace: 95.2 (13), Off: 96.9 (29), Def: 101.8 (10) Having lost three straight before Saturday's home win over the Wolves (which doesn't really count), the Bulls are back on a downswing. Amazingly, they've shot better from 3-point range (46 percent) than from two (44 percent) over their last five games.
23	Sacramento (21)	15-21	Pace: 97.3 (6), Off: 105.1 (13), Def: 107.6 (25) The Kings' schedule over the last nine games has been brutal, and they needed Tyreke Evans' game-winner on Saturday to pick up their second win in that stretch. It doesn't get much easier, as they host the Magic on Tuesday and then begin a six-game trip.
24	Golden State (25)	11-24	Pace: 103.3 (1), Off: 103.2 (20), Def: 108.2 (29) Even if Don Nelson isn't a big fan of Anthony Randolph, most of the league is. So a Randolph injury is about the worst thing that can happen to the Warriors. A CT scan on his left ankle revealed no fracture, but Randolph will have an MRI on Monday.
25	Washington (29)	12-23	Pace: 96.8 (8), Off: 102.1 (23), Def: 106.2 (21) Antawn Jamison or Caron Butler may not be around for much longer, but Friday's win over the Magic was evidence that the Wizards, as they currently stand, are still dangerous. Sunday's loss to the Hornets was evidence that they still can't defend.
26	Philadelphia (24)	11-25	Pace: 93.8 (24), Off: 104.0 (16), Def: 107.9 (28) Eddie Jordan did not get much of an endorsement on Friday from Ed Stefanski. Of course, Stefanski is far from faultless when it comes to the this disaster. The Sixers wasted Sam Dalembert's 20-20 game and an 18-point lead against the Wizards on Tuesday.
27	Minnesota (28)	8-30	Pace: 98.8 (3), Off: 97.1 (28), Def: 107.2 (24) The Yahoo! Sports report that the Wolves offered Al Jefferson for Danny Granger shouldn't be a big surprise if you've been watching Kevin Love. Defense is still an issue, but the Wolves have been much better offensively and on the boards since Love's return.
28	Indiana (27)	11-25	Pace: 99.9 (2), Off: 98.3 (26), Def: 103.9 (17) Danny Granger returned from a 16-game absence on Friday and didn't hesitate to put shots up. He took 40 of them (20 from 3-point range) in the Pacers' two losses over the weekend. Only connecting on 13 of the 40, he didn't give his team much of a lift.
29	Detroit (26)	11-24	Pace: 90.8 (29), Off: 99.9 (24), Def: 106.9 (22) The Pistons were in seventh place in the East and just a game under .500 before this 12-game losing streak began. The season hit a new low when they scored just 30 first-half points against the 28th ranked Philly defense on Saturday.
30	New Jersey (30)	3-34	Pace: 94.6 (18), Off: 94.7 (30), Def: 107.1 (23) The Nets have begun to trim some of the fat off their roster, waiving Rafer Alston and Sean Williams and trading Eduardo Najera. More deals may be in the works, but probably nothing that will impact their cap situation or provide a contender with a key contributor.

Nuggets struggle with new life as the hunted team

Carmelo Anthony (center), after averaging 30.4 points a game in November, averaged 28.9 last month.

Yes, the injuries. Of course the injuries. Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Chris Andersen -- all missing blocks of time or playing hurt, plus J.R. Smith and his season-opening suspension. That's a lot of diminished Nuggets firepower for a season not yet half over.

But it's not about that. Something is different with Denver, different enough to have slowly but unmistakably grown into a concern.

"I don't think we've responded that well to being one of the favorites," said the emotional leader, point guard Chauncey Billups.

"I think we've lost some games because of it," said the coach, George Karl.

Following up a trip to the Western Conference finals with a seemingly respectable 23-14 start -- whch has the Nuggets leading the Northwest Division -- is not an endorsement that everything is fine. That's the very thing that has gotten the Nuggets in trouble, actually, this new life as one of the chased.

Everything changed with the hugely successful 2008-09 season, and now the Nuggets haven't changed enough with it. The Nuggets went from being able to sneak up on people en route to a 54-28 record, a division title and a special ride all the way to the Western Conference finals, to entering the encore 2009-10 season with a bell around their necks to announce every move.

Good news: They have earned the respect of opponents.

Bad news: They have earned the respect of opponents.

"When you're one of the top teams, you win the games that you're supposed to win," said Billups, who should know, having played in seven consecutive conference finals with the Pistons and Nuggets. "I don't think we're doing a good job of that."

Loss to the Timberwolves on Nov. 29.

Loss to the Bobcats on Dec. 8.

Loss to the Pistons on Dec. 10.

Loss to the 76ers on Jan. 3.

Seven losses in the last 11 games, though there was also digging in to beat the Cavaliers on Friday.

"I don't know if [the approach and attitude has] been different," Billups said. "I just think this is the first time for most of the guys on this team being in that position. And it's not the same. It's different. When you come to town, you're everybody's big game now. It's a little different than coming to town and being able to sneak up on teams. We've struggled at trying to adjust to that.

"Any time you see something for the first time, you're not going to have the experience to know what to do. I think the first part of this season, the first 35-40 games, is teaching us how we're going to have to be as far having to step up and win the games we're supposed to win. At this point, we've struggled in that area."

Friday was a positive. Karl has been noting that the biggest personality difference between Denver last season and Denver present is on defense, with the inability to get the crucial stops it used to get. But the Cavaliers managed just three baskets the final 3:40, all by LeBron James. Good sign. Encouraging sign.

Then came Saturday. The Nuggets gave up 30 points in the third quarter and 29 in the fourth, going from a 13-point lead in the second period to a 102-100 loss at Sacramento. Flashing bad sign.

"With the injuries, we've had a lot of single-digit losses that I don't think we made the defensive plays down the stretch that we made last year," Karl said. "That's what excited me a little bit about [Friday]. I thought we won that game with defensive stops. So I think we're adjusting to teams coming after us. I actually thought I've seen our face go, 'How dare they play so hard against us?' Well, they're doing it because of what we did last year."

Which brings them back to the actual problem. And it's not Anthony's bruised knee or Billups' strained groin.

"We actually laid back too much ... and basically dropped a couple games that we should have won," said Andersen, who has battled tendinitis in his right knee and a sprained left ankle. "If we would have come out and played hard from the get-go instead of waiting until the end of the game to play hard, we would've actually won those games, which would be crucial come February, March, April. That's why we really need to start picking things up right now and start winning games."

They're the division leaders, and they need to start picking things up. Things have changed.

Blazers face tough union between McMillan, Miller

Andre Miller is still wondering how he fits into Portland's big picture.

Seven questions for the next seven days:

Is it Andre and Nate plus hate?

As the clock ticks down toward the Feb. 18 trade deadline, you have to wonder how much more of the bad blood drip, drip, drips out of the relationship between Andre Miller and coach Nate McMillan before the Portland Trail Blazers decide it just makes sense to turn the page.

It's difficult enough for the Blazers to keep soldiering on in the face of all those debilitating injuries. But there has to come a time when Miller's unhappiness with his role in Portland has an effect on the rest of the locker room. The latest episode came in a closed-door, open-floor meeting between McMillan and his team last week that disintegrated into a shouting match.

"We're almost halfway through the season and I still don't know what's going on," Miller has told reporters in Portland.

McMillan and general manager Kevin Pritchard say it's simply all part of the adjustment process Miller has had to make to the Blazers' culture.

Is it really the happiest place on Earth?

If it's not one thing, it's another rocking the boat in the Orlando Magic kingdom. Once upon a time -- way back in 2009 -- it was supposedly coach Stan Van Gundy's constantly carping negative tone that was holding back last season's runners-up from reaching their potential. Now the alarm bells are ringing because the Magic don't have a vocal leader -- that's you, Dwight Howard -- to get them through the rocky parts of games and the long season.

Could it possibly be that the Magic won 59 games last season, surprised many by running the gauntlet through Boston and Cleveland in the East to reach the NBA Finals and then tossed the right formula out the window when they sent Hedo Turkoglu and Courtney Lee packing to Toronto and New Jersey? Of course, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

A four-game road trip to visit Sacramento, Denver, Portland and the L.A. Lakers will only further test the Magic's harmony.

Is Dirk the king of Europe?

There's no doubt that European royalty these days isn't what it used to be. But Dirk Nowitzki should hit the 20,000-point plateau -- he's 16 away -- on Wednesday night at home against the L.A. Lakers, further cementing his reputation as the best NBA player ever to come out of Europe.

Perhaps it's fitting that the achievement will come against L.A., because for all of the attention and credit that Kobe Bryant gets for being the tent pole holding up the Lakers, Nowitzki has shouldered the same burden -- and never with Shaq at his side -- for more than a decade.

Time for a raise?

OK, so the ink is barely dry on Pau Gasol's contract extension with the Lakers. But the hamstring injury that has kept L.A.'s power forward on the sidelines for the past week has only emphasized how critical he is to the team's success. While the Lakers bench continues to struggle to produce meaningful contributions on a consistent basis, the defending champs are only back-to-back material when the starters are all healthy. With Gasol in the lineup, the Lakers are a step above everyone else in the Western Conference. Without him, they're Kobe jacking up 30 and 37 shots a night and everyone else merely watching.

All-Stars or Were-Stars?

While it's just a meaningless exhibition game with more of the attention often focused on the courtside celebrities, shouldn't there be something done to protect the so-called intergrity of the All-Star Game if Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson are voted onto the starting lineups?

While Iverson's play with the Philadelphia 76ers has been anything but his former All-Star level, at least he's often on the floor and trying to play. McGrady made just six cameo appearances -- 45 minutes total -- for the Houston Rockets before demanding a trade and leaving the team to continue his rehabilitation from microfracture knee surgery in Chicago.

You have outstanding players such as Utah's Deron Williams, who is caught in a logjam of guards in the West among Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Tony Parker, Steve Nash and Chauncey Billups, potentially losing out on an All-Star team slot to a guy who doesn't even want to play for his own team.

How do you like this fancy U-turn?

How many times do you see this many teams impressively turning around seasons that could have been going over the edge with mid-course corrections?

The Memphis Grizzlies lead the way -- after a woeful 1-8 start they now find themselves back to the .500 mark at 18-18. The New Orleans Hornets have picked up the pieces from coach Byron Scott's firing in November to now win six in a row. The Toronto Raptors have won eight of their last 10 to erase their losing record and climb back into the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Who's next?

For all of the improvement, there are disappointments at the other extreme and that would likely put Indiana's Jim O'Brien and Philadelphia's Eddie Jordan on the hottest coaching seats. O'Brien's Pacers have not been able to generate the kind of defensive attitude that was hoped for coming into the season and Jordan's Sixers have been an unadulterated mess since the middle of November. Even though Jordan is in the first year of his contract in Philly, GM Ed Stefanski refused to guarantee that he was safe through the end of the season. Pacers president Larry Bird vows O'Brien's job is safe and "the players are the ones that are probably going to leave."