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Eastern team reports, including games of Jan. 23, 2005, exclusively on InsideHoops.com, updated weekly.

ATLANTA HAWKS: With the Hawks facing the Bulls for the first time this season, Al Harrington revealed he thought he would be part of frontline that included Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry instead of toiling for the worst team in the East. But for now coach Mike Woodson is looking for him to lead the Hawks. "He's got to be a leader, there's no question," Woodson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "But not only does he have to better himself, he has to better the people around him." ... Jason Collie's facial hair was proving scary to his daughter so he shaved off his scruffy beard prior to Wednesday's game in Miami. In his first game with the new look, Collier scored 17 points in 20 minutes. In his three games vs. Miami, Collier has put up his three-highest totals. He had 20 in the first meeting November 24 and 15 in Miami on December 27. In his other 30 games, he is averaging 5.9 points. ... Antoine Walker has made 32.5 percent of his 3-pointers through his career but he had missed 16 in a row before Friday's loss in Chicago. ... Walker entered Saturday's game vs. the Celtics just four shy of 5,000 career field goals and made 13 of them. Earlier this season, he sank his 1,000th career 3-pointer. The Hawks are the league's worst team when it comes to making foul shots but hardly played that way in the fourth quarter of Saturday's 100-96 win over Boston. After making just six of 13 through three quarters, they made 12 of 15 and outscored Boston 31-16 in the fourth. Harrington, who Woodson is looking to lead, made all six of his free throws and finished with 21 points. "we've been talking about that all year," Woodson told the Associated Press. "The key to winning close games is getting to the free-throw line." ... On Wednesday, Tony Delk was activated from the injured list after missing nearly two weeks with a left hand contusion. ... Rookie Royal Ivey took his spot on the IL due to right knee tendinitis. In the losses to the Nets and Heat, Tyronn Lue recorded a season-high 10 assists but Friday had none. ... Before finishing with seven points and nine rebounds, rookie Josh Smith had posted double figures in either rebounding or points in his previous eight games. He had not recorded a double-double in the stretch with the closet game being Wednesday in Miami when he had 13 points and nine rebounds. ... Walker had recorded nine straight doubles-doubles before finishing with seven Friday. He had averaged 12.3 boards in that streak, 3.6 more than his career average. ... Rookie Josh Childress scored a career-high 19 points, equaling his output in his prior four games. He four straight double-figure scoring games in mid-November but has just three since then.

BOSTON CELTICS: The Celtics have dropped nine straight road games after blowing a 17-point lead in Saturday's 100-96 loss in Atlanta. ... The one change to the lineup was rookie Tony Allen, who scored a career-high 20 points. Allen moved into Jiri Welsch's spot after the shooting guard went 1-of-14 from the floor in his previous two games. The night before the skid continued with Friday's defeat in New Jersey and four of Boston's starters picked up five fouls in a game that featured 37 free throws apiece and 74 fouls called by the crew of Violet Palmer, Bennett Salvatore and Tony Brothers. "If I was a fan watching that game, I probably would have left after the first quarter," Paul Pierce told the Boston Globe. "I think the referees really dictated it. It was just an ugly game." ... Mark Blount began December with nine straight games in double figures and had a season-high 22 against the Knicks later in the month but this month he has not scored more than 10 points and only has one double-double. Last year, he posted a career-high 19 double-doubles and resisted an offer from the 76ers to return to Boston. He went scoreless in Wednesday's win vs. Chicago but posted nine points and seven boards Friday. The decent showing after he chatted with his agent Mark Bartlestein, who reported some of the details of the conversation to the Globe. "He's just going through a little bit of a tough stretch," Bartlestein told the newspaper. "He got comfortable last year and there have been a lot of changes this years. He's determined to fight his way through it." ... Rookie Delonte West was activated before Friday's game and scored five points in five minutes. He had been out since December 1 with a broken bone in his right hand. Tom Gugliotta took his spot on the IL with what is being said by team officials as a mild right ankle sprain. ... At the FleetCenter, the Celtics have won three in a row and eight of nine since a one-point loss to Denver on December 15. On Wednesday, they ended Chicago's seven-game winning streak by outscoring them 35-17 over the final 18 minutes. In their last four home games, the Celtics have given up 90.2 points and 21.5 points in the fourth quarter. ... Wednesday's game featured a career night from rookie al Jefferson who had 17 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and one elbow in the eye from Eddy Curry. ... On Friday, Jeff Schwartz the agent for Paul Pierce declared this his client is content. "He's been with the Celtics organization his whole career, and he loves being a Celtic," Schwartz told the Boston Herald. "I just think that he's always trying to figure out how the Celtics can be better, and he puts a lot of that pressure on himself." ... Jefferson misses Thursday's practice with a sore right foot that is the common NBA ailment known as plantar fasciitis. ... The Celtics became the latest team to have travel problems. On their way back from Toronto on January 12, their chartered 727 lost one of its three engines 30 minutes before landing in Boston.

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS: After a respectable record of 7-19 by expansion standards through December, the Bobcats have lost eight in a row and 10 of 11 this month with the lone win being against Minnesota on January 5. ... During Thursday's practice, coach Bernie Bickerstaff had each player take 100 foul shots in order to correct their under 70 percentage from the line. In the game following the practice, the Bobcats went 11-of-16 from the line in a 105-99 home loss to the Mavericks. ... On Friday, the Bobcats took 15 less free throws than the Mavericks, marking the fourth straight game they took fewer attempts at the line than the opponent and 27th time overall. After the loss, a reason for that may be uncovered when Jason Hart told Bickerstaff that the Bobcats do not gets calls due to their constant complaining. Afterwards, Hart told the Charlotte Observer this account his conversation on Wednesday - "If you're complaining all game, things are not going your way. Just play; if we foul, stop complaining" about it. ... Hart was the subject of a non-call during Wednesday's 107-105 loss to the 76ers when three defenders surrounded him on a drive to the basket but the crew of Bernie Fryer, David Jones and Jason Phillips thought otherwise. "I thought I drew a lot of contact," Hart told the Observer. "I'm not an (Allen) Iverson but I thought I got hit pretty hard." Hart scored 19 points and dished out seven assists Wednesday after replacing starting point guard Brevin Knight. Knight sprained his left ankle, hobbled out on crutches and did not play Friday, giving Hart his 14th start and first since December 29 vs. Indiana. ... Rookie Emeka Okafor has collected three straight double-doubles after failing to do so in three of his previous four games. ... On Wednesday, the Bobcats activated Steve Smith from the injured list after he had missed nearly two weeks with tendinitis in his right knee. Smith's roster spot was cleared when Jahidi White went on the IL with a strained right shoulder that caused him to miss 11 games last month.

CHICAGO BULLS: The Bulls have finally reached the .500 mark and have a chance to move a few games over .500 as their next five games come against sub-500 teams. ... The Bulls have won nine of 10 and are 19-10 since opening with nine straight losses. Chicago had its seven-game winning streak stopped with Wednesday's loss at Boston, a game that featured a big fourth-quarter collapse. They bounced back with Friday's 95-85 home win over the Hawks and Saturday's 100-89 win in Detroit, a place they have won twice at this season following a lengthy losing streak there. Chicago also has held foes under 100 points in 25 straight games, the longest streak in the NBA. Scott Skiles is emerging as a tough to please coach based on his comments to the Chicago Tribune following Friday's win. The Bulls nearly blew a 15-point lead before pulling the win out, leaving Skiles unimpressed "We didn't jump, we didn't defend and our bigs looked like they played in concrete shoes," he told the newspaper. "We were very indecisive and very tentative. If they had made open shots, we would have been beaten like a drum." Skiles comments came one day after he felt good about his team's reaction to Wednesday's loss, one that led to a quiet bus ride to the airport. ... Tyson Chandler likely would have been quiet even if his teammates weren't since he bit off part of his tongue. With part of his tongue missing, he scored 13 points Friday, matching his highest output since a 15-point showing vs. the Cavaliers on December 8. ... A night after scoring a season-high 17 points, Antonio Davis finished with 14 Saturday in Detroit. ... The Bulls are .500 for the first time this late in a season for the first time in seven years but Skiles isn't planning any parties. "To do things, you've got to get to .500, but it is what you do after you there that is important," he told the Associated Press. "We aren't even halfway through the season. Let's see what we do from here."

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: The Cavaliers did what they were supposed to do in splitting their season-high six-game road trip. They lost to the Lakers, Kings and Sonics but beat the Trail Blazers, Jazz and Warriors, three teams that are at least nine games under .500. ... Among the highlights was LeBron James' triple-double in Portland Tuesday and Thursday's game, which was a blowout loss to the Kings but saw James reach 2,500 points, 700 rebounds and 700 assists in just his 117th game. He became the second-fastet player in team history to do so behind Oscar Robertson, who needed just 83 games. In Portland, James supassed Lamar Odom by 34 days as the youngest player to record a triple-double, finishing with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. James duplicated the feat with 28 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists Saturday night ... In the previous five seasons, Cleveland had gone a combined 3-22 on Western swings of at least five games. ... Jeff McInnis sat out Saturday's win in Golden State with a sprained left foot. He left Friday's practice on crutches and visited a San Francisco foot specialist. The injury happened with 10:54 left in Thursday's game when he had an uncomfortable landing following a layup attempt. ... Since arriving from Portland just over a year ago for Darius Miles, Cleveland is 43-26 with him on the team. The absence of McInnis marked a different starting five for coach Silas for the first time in 35 games as Eric Snow made the start and posted 16 points and 12 assists. He also made 2-of-3 from the arc and has made nine of his 16 attempts since missing his first 10. ... James returned to the site of his first NBA game Thursday in Sacramento and finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a 123-96 loss. He had 25 points and nine assists in his NBA debut at ARCO Arena last season. ... McInnis has been on the court with the two youngest players to record a triple-double as he was a teammate of Odom's with the Clippers on December 30, 1999. "He played such a smooth game that I couldn't tell that he had a triple-double," McInnis told the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. "That's how it's supposed to be, because most guys press to get a triple-double and he made it look easy. He's not out playing for that but he could play for the triple-double every night and get it, but he just goes out and plays the game."

DETROIT PISTONS: After winning their third NBA championship last season, coach Larry Brown said the Pistons played the right way. After dropping their third straight game following a season-high six-game winning streak that briefly gave the Pistons first place in the Central Division, he termed Saturday's 100-89 loss to the Bulls as "rock bottom". "Things in our mind went against us, and then we figured out a way to pack it in," Brown told the Detroit News and other media outlets in his postgame news conference. "I think we're about rock bottom right now. Brown's harsh assessment came after Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace were handed technical fouls within a span of 20 seconds with just over five minutes remaining and the Bulls leading by three. ... The Pistons backup point guard had been Lindsey Hunter until Friday when they acquired Carlos Arroyo from Utah for Elden Campbell and a 2006 first-rounder. After feuding with coach Jerry Sloan and being demoted, he scored five points and led the team with five assists in 17 minutes. "I am very excited," he told the Detroit News. "This is going to be a great experience. To play for a great coach is really going to help my career." With the events in New York surrounding Lenny Wilkens resignation, Brown's name has been mentioned as a possible coach for the Knicks next season and addressed that Saturday. "I don't know how much longer I really want to coach, to be honest," he told the News. "I just want to enjoy this. This has been a wonderful ride for me with this franchise. ... Ben Wallace had 10 rebounds in his previous two games but bounced back with 13 on Saturday. Before his two-game slump on the boards, Wallace has collected at least 10 rebounds in nine straight games. After Saturday's game, he got ticked when told of Brown's remarks. "I am sick of that (stuff)," he told the News. "I've got not comment on that but I'm tired of hearing that (stuff) every night." ... Darko Milicic went public with his comments for more playing time and met with Brown Wednesday and according to Brown it went well. "By watching (Milicic's) body language, I thought he was slipping," Brown told the News. "It was important that we sit down and explain ourselves and try to get his side of things and make sure he knows we're here to help him." ... The Pistons had their six-game streak snapped with Tuesday's 103-101 loss in Orlando, where they blew a nine-point lead, were outrebounded 48-30 and gave up 17 second-chance points. ... On Friday in a three-point loss at Milwaukee, Tayshaun Prince matched a career high with 26 points, reaching that figure for the second time in three games. ... Rookie shooting guard Carlos Delfino has been out since December 11 with a right knee injury and flew home to Argentina to have a second exploratory surgery. The good news was no ligament or cartilage damage was discovered and he is expected to rejoin the team later next week.

INDIANA PACERS: The Pacers ended a three-game road trip with Friday's overtime win in Miami but again failed to win the back end of back-to-back sets, losing Saturday by two to the Washington Wizards. They have lost four in a row in those instances and eight of 10 since the fallout from the November 19 brawl in Detroit impacted their depth. The last three games on the final night of back-to-backs have all been winnable games and coach Rick Carlisle is looking for better consistency. "Right now, we're an OK team," he told the Indianapolis Star. "A good team is capable of better consistency than we are. You can't go out and live on winning the games you're an underdog in and lose the games you're favored. It just can't work that way." ... Stpehen Jackson will return from his 30-game suspension Wednesday in Boston and at 21-19, the Pacers will have achieved their goal of having a winning record when he comes back. ... Friday's 106-100 overtime triumph in Miami was the Pacers 10th straight regular-season win over the Heat. ... Suspended for the season, Ron Artest is expected to practice with the Pacers on Monday. While overturning the ban is unlikely, the NBA granted Artest permission to return to practice. But on Tuesday he Jermaine O'Neal, Jackson, David Harrison and Anthony Johnson will be in an Oakland County, Michigan courthouse for a pretrial appearance on their one charge of assault. ... Michael Curry is the President of the Players Union but is hopeful about the negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. "There were things we were both trying to establish last time," Curry told the Star. "This deal only needs a little tweaking. The last time we had to come up with a whole new deal." ... O'Neal has seven 30-plus point games in his last 11 outings and nine overall. ... Fred Jones finished with 11 points Saturday and 10 Friday following a string of 11 straight games without scoring 10. ... Before going 6-of-17 and finishing with 17 points, Jamaal Tinsley had three straight games with at least 28 points. ... On Friday, Scot Pollard made his first start since November 26 and helped hold Shaquille O'Neal to 24 points. He has made six starts this season and the Pacers are unbeaten in those games.

MIAMI HEAT: Miami returned from its five-game road trip and sandwiched an overtime loss to the Pacers on Friday with easy wins over the Hawks and Hornets. The Heat were originally scheduled to be at Philadelphia Sunday but due to the close proximity of the Wachovia Center to Lincoln Financial Field, the site of the NFC title game, the game was moved to Monday night. ... Wednesday's win marked the return of Dwyane Wade to the lineup after he missed two games with sore ribs and a migraine. He had 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting to go along with seven assists. ... Friday marked the first meeting with the Pacers since losing to them in six games in the conference semifinals last season. ... Coach Stan Van Gundy considered removing Damon Jones from the starting lineup. After Friday's game, Jones had made 23 straight starts but shot 32.2 percent from the field in his last 12 games. Van Gundy told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel We've got a guy that has not played well for a couple weeks here," Van Gundy said. "It's been a fairly long stretch, and when that translates into the team losing games -- and we've lost five out of nine -- as a coach you start looking at everything. When I think there's a better answer, I'll go to it." But the move did not happen for Sunday's game against New Orleans when Jones scored 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting. .... Sunday's 97-68 win over the Hornets allowed Van Gundy to rest virtually his entire team as it prepares for three-game road trip. Nobody played more than 28 minutes and that led to Shaquille O'Neal finishing with just 12 points and eight rebounds. He had grabbed at least 10 boards in nine straight games and fell two shy of the team record set by Rony Seikaly in 1992 and matched by him two years later. ... The win also moved the Heat to 30-11, equaling the best first-half mark in team history. ... Miami has lost its last three games when scoring 100 points after winning their last 33 contests when topping the century mark. ... The 111 points scored vs. the Hawks was the eighth time the Heat reached at least 110, doubling their total from last season. ... The Heat are 6-5 this month and Van Gundy attributed their lack of intensity at times to limited practice time, which has been the result of a cramped schedule that has him trying to save some energy. "I probably have probably been a little too concerned about conserving energy," he told the Miami Herald. "I think that's important but there has to be a balance between building our habits and energy. I think you can do both. It's a fine line. But the key is we have to do both." ... Out since November 23 with a back injury, Malik Allen could return to action this week, nearly two months after undergoing surgery.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS: The Bucks have won three of their last four games and the last two have been quite impressive. First came the 89-86 win over the defending champion Detroit Pistons at home on Friday and then the 101-96 win at New York two days later that has improved their record to 15-24, the first time they have been less than 10 games under .500 since January 12. ... The Bucks allowed the Knicks to shoot 33 percent in the fourth and won for the third time in 11 games when allowing an opposing player to score at least 30 points. ... Sunday's game completed a grueling 16-game stretch that featured 11 road games, spanning 27 days and 12,720 miles. The Bucks went 7-8 during that period. ... Desmond Mason tied a season high with seven assists and his last one led to a back-breaking 3-pointer by Michael Redd with 54 seconds to play. Redd also is hoping for a winning streak of more than three games this time around. "Hopefully this will have a snowball effect for us," Redd told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "You get tired of winning two and losing three or four in a row. So hopefully we can get five or six in a row." ... Friday's win over the Pistons in the estimation of coach Terry Porter was the team's most satisfying one to date but the game meant more to Mike James, who was a backup guard with the Pistons last season and dropped 20 points in 28 minutes Friday. "It's always going to be something between us," James told the Journal-Sentinel. "We had so much fun last year playing, so now being on separate teams it's like guys are going to talk junk. It's definitely personal but you can't worry about that. You just have to understand when you're in the game to play ball." ... Toni Kukoc has played in just 11 games and when he plays more than 10 minutes the Bucks are 7-1. Kukoc played 16 minutes Sunday, his most since getting 18 January 8 vs. Utah. ... On Saturday injured guard T.J. Ford left the team to continue his recovery from a neck injury with his family in Texas. ... Keith Van Horn's 26 minutes Sunday were his most since he returned from the injured list.

NEW JERSEY NETS: The Nets opened their season-high five-game road trip by attempting to run with the Suns only to fall short in a 113-105 losss. With a blizzard blanketing Northern New Jersey, the trip lasted 11 hours and the Nets arrived eight hours before the start of the game. ... In four visits to Phoenix since his trade, Kidd is winless and the Nets haven't won there since March 13, 1993. ... The loss snapped a three-game winning streak that featured a win in Atlanta and close home victories over the Bucks and Celtics. ... The day before the trip started the Nets were talking about the playoffs after getting three games out of first place in the Atlantic with Friday's 104-98 win over the Celtics. "I think we're talented enough to do it," reserve guard Travis Best told the Newark-Star Ledger. "We are playing in the East. As many games as we've lost, we're only four games out of the playoffs. So, from a realist standpoint, we have just as good a shot as anyone." ... Out for the season, Richard Jefferson underwent successful surgery Thursday to repair a ruptured ligament in his left wrist at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hopsital in Manhattan. ... Also Thursday, the Nets inked Billy Thomas to a 10-day contract. On Wednesday vs. Milwaukee, Vince Carter and Kidd nearly became the first set of teammates to record triple-doubles since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen did it Janury 3, 1989. Kidd had 17 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds while Carter finished with 33 points, nine boards and nine assists.

NEW YORK KNICKS: Losers of six in a row and 10 of 11 games, the Knicks made a coaching change for the third time in four seasons when Lenny Wilkens announced his resignation after 81 games on the job. Wilkens met with team president Isiah Thomas following Friday's 92-91 loss to the Rockets and made the announcement public by reading a statement to reporters before Saturday's practice in Greensburgh, New York. Wilkens was 40-41 with the Knicks and various reports have said that owner Jim Dolan urged Thomas to fire him, a claim denied by all those involved. ... Herb Williams, a former Knick during the glory days of the 1990s and an assistant with the team since December 2001 took over and made some changes for his debut a 101-96 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. First, he made rookie Trevor Ariza the starter at small forward for Tim Thomas, second he used a zone defense for most of the second half and third he said in his postgame news conference that defense will a major area of concentration for the Knicks. "Lenny coached his way," Williams told the New York Times as well as the six other daily newspapers in the New York area. "He was in the league for 20, 30 years. It worked for him, he was very successful. I had the opportunity to play under some coaches that are very defensive-minded, with Pat Riley, Don Chaney, so I'm going to get things a little bit more toward defense." ... Williams also pointed to a mistake made by point guard Stephon Marbury defensively down the stretch and Kurt Thomas gave his approval to the Daily News. "He doesn't beat around the bush," the second-longest tenured Knick told the newspaper. "He just tells you like it is. That's how I like it. You have to call guys out. No matter who it is." ... The loss was the 14th in 19 games decided by six points or less and since beating Utah by one December 19, the Knicks have dropped their last seven games decided by that margin. ... Tim Thomas was a DNP-CD but was bothered by a calf injury. Since coming back from a three-game absence, Thomas has played just 50 minutes, scored 14 points and connected on just 4-of-21 shots. ... Also struggling is Nazr Mohammed, whose 13 minutes were his fewest since November 19 at Dallas. He recorded six straight games of double figures in points December 29-January 9 but has done just once in his last six games while shooting 19-of-47. His best game in that stretch came in Wednesday's loss at Toronto when collected 16 points and 17 rebounds. ... On Sunday, Mike Sweetney played a career-high 37 minutes and collected 14 points and a season-best 11 rebounds. According to Williams, Sweetney is the only Knick than has ability to draw fouls. ... Allan Houston has missed the last two games with left knee pain. He is not expected to dress this week also but the team has no immediate plans to put him on the injured list.

ORLANDO MAGIC: Steve Francis faced his former team Thursday night as the Rockets visited the TD Waterhouse Centre. He scored 28 points in that game, a 108-99 loss while also tangling with Houston guards Jon Barry and Bob Sura. ... Two nights later, Franics battled through the flu and scored 14 points, including a tip-in that gave the Magic the lead for good in a 115-111 win over the Sixers. The night belonged to Magic's rookies and reserves. Jameer Nelson, a native of the Philadelphia area, scored 12 points in 31 minutes. ... Grant Hill missed the game with a bruised right wrist and Andrew DeClarcq sat out with flu-like symptons. Doug Christie also battled the flu and played for Hill after being sent home when he showed up for the morning shootaround. ... Hedo Turkoglu also was recovering from a virus but still managed 22 points. Hill has a cyst on his wrist but a recent MRI did not reveal any damage and Hill is glad it's not his ankle. ... With Christie on the team, the Magic have three of four although they have given up more than 100 points in three of those games. But in his debut Tuesday vs. the Pistons, he prevented Richard Hamilton from getting a touch in the final minute, helping Orlando to a 103-101 win. "It was fantastic," Christie told the Orlando Sentinel. "I didn't know what to expect. I was a little nervous coming home to play the world champs and not knowing the plays. ... After going 2-of-15 in Detroit four nights earlier, Hedo Turkoglu scored a season-high 29 points. ... Saturday's win gave Orlando 22 on the season, one more than last year. ... Nelson set a team record for a rookie Saturday night when he recorded seven steals. ... Rookie Dwight Howard finished with 13 rebounds Tuesday vs. Detroit and reached double figures in boards for the 20th time.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: With the city enjoying the Eagles run to the Super Bowl, the 76ers are leading the Atlantic Division with an 18-21 record after a two-point win in Charlotte on Wednesday and a four-point loss in Orlando three nights later. ... In Wednesday's 107-105 over the expansion Bobcats, a key decision to leave rookie Andre Iguodala in the game despite his foul troubles. Although he had just five points, four came in a key stretch in the fourth and he had six of his nine rebounds in the final period. "I think I'm able to go out there and play with four fouls," Iguodala told the Philadelphia Daily News. "You're going to have to learn how to anyway. Every time you get four fouls, you can't come out. It might be clutch and they might need you, and you might not be able to know how to play with those fouls... That's a credit to [O'Brien], having confidence in me." ... John Salmons stint as a starter lasted eight games and he shot 14-of-41 before being yanked for Kyle Korver and getting a pair of DNP-CDs. ... Prior to Wednesday's game, Brian Skinner was placed on the injured list with joint inflammation in his left knee. ... Marc Jackson was fined $5,000 after the NBA charged him with cursing at fans during last Monday's win over the Hornets. Jackson denied the chrage and said he cursed at a teammate but was joking around. "Of course it's ridiculous, and they know it's ridiculous," Jackson told the Philadelphia Inquirer. who will appeal the fine. "First of all, we're at home and I'm from Philly. Why would I do that? Plus, my mother and my 11-year-old brother are both sitting courtside. Why would have I gestured or showed disrespect to anyone?. ... In his first starts since December 14, Korver has scored 18 and 16 points while making 8-of-20 3-pointers. ... Samuel Dalembert returned to action after missing four games and scored five points Wednesday before tying a career high with 24 points Saturday. ... Allen Iverson scored 38 points but fell on his injured left hip with eight minutes to go in Orlando. ... Kenny Thomas took seven stitches above his left eye to repair a laceration. ... The Sixers were originally scheduled to host Miami Sunday but the game was pushed back a day because the city an anticipated the Eagles hosting the NFC title game. ... Iverson is from the same area in Virginia as Falcons quarterback but told the Inquirer he was rooting for the Eagles. "It's like, Mike's from my neighborhood, and Donovan's a good friend. He's an Eagle. I'm in this town [Philadelphia], and you've got to be a fan of Donovan and T.O. [Terrell Owens] and a lot of those guys, especially [coach] Andy Reid and how far he's come." ... Korver has made at least one 3-pointer in 17 straight games since going 0-of-6 against the Knicks on December 17, a night that ended a 21-game streak with a 3-pointer.

TORONTO RAPTORS: The Raptors continued to play well last week and have won eight of their last 11 games. On Sunday, the extended their home winning streak to four games with by beating Charlotte. Jalen Rose scored 22 points Sunday with 14 coming in the fourth quarter. Although he has voiced displeasure at times, the fans have responded to his recent efforts by giving him a standing ovation when he checked in yesteday. Asked about his popularity, Rose told the Toronto Star. "I'm not a hermit. I'm out moving around, I'm shaking hands, kissing babies. I'm out at the mall. I'm places." ... Rose has been subjected to numerous trade rumors all seasons and recently said he was inspired by a recent comment from play-by-play TV announcer Chuck Swirsky. ... Rose had three 3-pointers in a key 11-0 run and his efforts were needed with outside threats Donyell Marshall (sprained right wrist) and Lamond Murray (upper respiratory infection) on the sidelines. ... Before Sunday, rookie Rafael Araujo played just eight minutes in Washington on Friday and coach Sam Mitchell told him to focus more on rebounding and defense. On Sunday he played a career-high 26 points and collected a respectable seven points and eight rebounds. ... Sunday's victory came after Mitchell thought outsiders were having a bad influence on some of his players. During Saturday's practice he was upset at unnamed players for that reason. "My main concern is that there are too many people giving them too much information," Mitchell told the Toronto Sun. "We want certain guys to do certain things and to concentrate on those things. Let us determine when to add to that." ... Rose has already made his feelings known about playing time and last week when asked about being in Washington D.C. for President Bush's inaugration, Rose, who donated money to Democrat John Edwards' campaign offered this response to the Toronto Sun and several other reporters. "I still don't believe in politricks," he said. "Maybe I just didn't want Bush to win. I would have voted for you if you were running. Can't be any worse than what we've got." ... The Raptors play eight of their next 11 at the Air Canada Centre, which probably is good news for Morris Peterson, who averages 15.2 points and shoots 50.3 percent at home while on the road he averages 8.5 points and shoots 33.3 percent. ... Chris Bosh scored 21 points Sunday and the Raptors are unbeaten in the 10 games he has topped 20 points. ... At 15-5 through 20 home games, the Raptors are off to their best home start in team history. ... When Rose scored 32 points Friday in Washington, he set a team record for points by a bench player. ... Bosh set a team record by recording his ninth straight double-double Wednesday vs. New York.

Washington Wizards: The Wizards have bounced back from losing their first two games without injured guard Larry Hughes by beating Toronto at home Friday for their seventh consecutive home win. The next night in Indiana, the Wizards stole a 95-93 win on Antawn Jamison's driving hook with 0.4 of a second left. Jamison and Arenas, the other members of Washington's big three have combined for 105 points in the last two games after getting just 79 points in losses at Dallas and San Antonio. ... Jamison made his return to Dallas, a place he spent just one season in and scored 27 points in Tuesday's 137-120 loss. ... Jarvis Hayes was inserted into the starting lineup Friday and Saturday for his first starts since November. He had scored 27 points during last week's 28-point loss at San Antonio and scored 16 Friday before going 1-of-7 for five points Saturday. ... Hughes attended Friday's win over Toronto and stated his goal is to return from his broken right thumb in four weeks. "I'm looking on the bright side of four to six weeks," Hughes told the Washington Times. "Definitely before six weeks — that's my goal. With it being my right hand, I want to make sure everything is solid before I get back because naturally that hand has been hit a lot." ... Kwame Brown will have a walking boot put on his right ankle for three weeks. He also was diagnosed with posterior ankle impringement.