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Western conference NBA reports, exclusively on InsideHoops.com, updated once a week. Includes games of Jan. 13, 2005.

DALLAS MAVERICKS: Before their five-game homestand started, Mavericks coach Don Nelson challenged his team to run the table. The Mavericks won their first four games by an average of 18 points per game, beating Boston, Milwaukee, the Lakers and Indiana. But they failed to get the job done as their season-high five-game winning streak ended with Wednesday's 124-114 loss to the Rockets. "I don't care what critics or other teams think of us," guard Michael Finley told the Dallas Morning News. "I just want us to not be satisfied with where we're at right now. We could easily, in my estimation, be one of the top teams in this league. But don't be satisfied with this little winning streak." While Nelson's desire fell short, he is ready to move on and find out about his team. "We got our behind beat at home," he told the Morning News."I don't like it but it happens. Hey I wanted to win them all. But I'm not going to cry about it. We still have to find out what kind of team we are. ... Forward Josh Howard missed two straight practices with an upper respiratory infection leading up the Houston game, sat out for the first time all season and may not play in San Antonio Friday. ... On Saturday, the Mavericks shot a team-record 74.3 percent (26-of-35) in the first half en route to a 121-101 win over the Pacers. ... Dallas scored 61 first-half points Wednesday and fell to 7-1 when scoring 60 points in the opening 24 minutes. ... Wednesday's loss was Dallas' first in 11 games when scoring at least 110 points this season. When asked if his sprained left ankle was improving, guard Marquis Daniels kept it short and to the point to the Morning News, uttering a simple "uh, no."

DENVER NUGGETS: The Nuggets are 2-5 under interim coach Michael Cooper, who has been on the job nearly two weeks. They stopped a five-game losing streak with Wednesday's 95-83 home win over the Lakers, a game that marked the first time they allowed less than 85 points since a 76-67 win over the Hornets on November 29, a span of 20 games. During their five-game skid, the Nuggets had allowed an average of 105 points. The final game of their losing streak was a 109-100 loss at ARCO Arena, a building that has been a house of horrors. But in the 17th straight road loss to the Kings, Copper felt his team should have won. "For sure we should've beaten them," he told the Denver Post. "Again it's a situation where they didn't beat us. We beat ourselves, turning the ball over, not boxing out, all the little things." The last two games have seen the Nuggets have their full roster available after injuries kept them shorthanded over the previous 10 games. Greg Buckner returned from missing five games with a strained groin and scored 14 points Tuesday but his return to the starting five saw him finish with just four on 2-of-8 shooting. .... In seven games since returning from a sprained ankle, forward Carmelo Anthony is shooting 33.8 percent (44-of-130). But Wednesday's game saw him go 7-of-14 from the floor, marking just the sixth time he made at least half his shots. ... The Nuggets have faced double-digit deficits in 14 of their last 16 games but Wednesday marked the first time in 13 games that didn't happen. Amazingly the win over the Lakers took place after difficult travel conditions from Sacramento the night before. Due to recent poor weather conditions, the Nuggets were delayed in departing California, spent more than an hour circling over Denver and were diverted south to Colorado Springs before busing to Denver during the morning rush. The trip caused most players to get back home after 10 am and while they were tired after beating the Lakers, Copper is hoping this became a chance for his team to bond. "You're in a cramped area, in a plane and you take it to the bus and there's still some bonding," he told the Rocky Mountain News. "I like to think that whatever it was, the snow or whatever, I thought this team came together."

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: The Warriors ended December with four straight wins and hopes that things were getting turned around. But then guard Jason Richardson sprained his ankle in practice on New Year's Eve and they haven't won since, dropping their next seven to fall to 11-25. They concluded their four-game road trip with losses in New Jersey, Toronto and Chicago and then returned to the Bay Area and dropped a 98-91 decision to the Heat, who did play Dwyane Wade. While Shaquille O'Neal got his usual big numbers, it was Udonis Haslem that caught them by surprise finishing with a career-high 22 points, on 11-of-16 shooting to go with 10 rebounds. "The way he shot the ball tonight really hurt us," forward Troy Murphy told the Contra Coast Times. "When you've got to double-team on Shaq, he's the guy you're most likely going to leave. You've got yo pick your poison. ... After getting outscored by a combined 37 points in their previous two three quarters, they were outscored 27-18 Wednesday. As for Richardson, he intially hoped to return two weeks ago but now is aiming for the end of the week. Calbert Cheaney had started six in a row for Richardson but Derek Fisher started Wednesday and scored 17 points. ... Forward Eduardo Najera's arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Friday went well and is expected to keep him out two to three weeks. According to O'Neal, the Warriors had a chance to acquire him but didn't move fast enough. "They didn't move fast enough," he told the Oakland Tribune. "I wanted to be traded that day (July 14, 2004). Murphy finished with 22 points on 11-of-22 shooting but the remaining four starters - Mike Dunleavy Jr., Clifford Robinson, Fisher and Speedy Claxton combined for 34 points on a woeful 8-of-41 from the field. Dunleavy had scored in double figures over his previous seven contests but Wednesday was 1-of-10 for two points.

HOUSTON ROCKETS: At 19-17, the Rockets are two games over .500 for the first time all season. Since dropping five in a row November 23-December 2, they have won 13 of 19. On Thursday, the Rockets overcame an early 17-3 deficit and pulled out a 94-85 overtime win over the Nets behind a career-high 35 points from Bob Sura. "We get out to that rough start and a month and a half, two months ago, it would have gotten worse for us," he told the Houston Chronicle. "To be able to bounce back, to play better, this was steps for us." However, there was a downside to the victory as Tracy McGrady got injured for the third straight game, this time leaving with a strained left quadriceps. But unlike the wins in Denver and Dallas he did not do well, struggling through the final 14 minutes and then displaying some concern following the game. "This injury right here I am concerned about," he told the Chronicle. "With the toe, I thought it would be fine today, which it was. This injury that I'm dealing with now, pretty much I'm concerned with carrying over." Sura hit 6-of-7 3-pointers and had the fifth game of at least 35 points for the Rockets. ... With Charlie Ward on the injured list, the Rockets still seek a third point guard and according to the Chronicle it may be free agent Rod Strickland or former Pittsburgh start Brandin Knight, who is among several CBA and NBDL players they have scouted recently. ... McGrady scored just 18 points, ending his streak of scoring 20 points at 14 games. ... Yao Ming had just six, ending his double-figures streak at 19. ... The night before the Rockets posted a 124-114 win in Dallas and had four players top 20 points for the first time, set season highs in points, field goals, 3-pointers and assists and shooting percentage (61). ... Juwan Howard had a season-high 29 points and David Wesley scored 21. ... Houston is averaging 101.7 points in its last 12 games. The Rockets have scored at least 100 points in seven of their last 14 games after doing it just twice in their first 22. Following their blowout win in Denver on Sunday, McGrady had a good feeling about the Rockets upcoming future. "I feel it's coming," he told the Chronicle. "Adding those two guys (Jon Barry and David Wesley), they're starting to gel. Playing this inside-out game has been unbelievable for my part." ... The 124 points scored in Dallas was the most in a road game since Clyde Drexler scored 43 points in a 124-110 win over the LA Clippers on November 5, 1997.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS: The Clippers and Celtics have something in common - they are the only teams to beat the SuperSonics twice. The Clippers opened their season with a 30-point rout over Seattle and rebounded from Tuesday's loss at Key Arena with Wednesday's 103-92 victory over the Sonics. Leading the way was their fifth point guard of the season - Darrick Martin, who recently signed a 10-day contract. He may he earned another deal as he scored 10 points and played the entire fourth quarter and was 3-of-3 from the field. Martin was one of 10 players selected for the Eastern Conference in next month's CBA all-star game. But the point guard of the Michigan Mayhem is hoping to still be with the Clippers. "It feels good to be back," Martin told the LA Times. "Hopefully it will continue." ... Martin's big efforts helped the Clippers take the season series from the Sonics for the first time since the 1989-90 campaign. ... On Saturday, guard Kerry Kittles was activated from the injured list. He has sat out 26 games and his recent stint on the IL lasted nine games due to sciatica caused by a bulging disk in his lower back. He played 16 minutes in Saturday's loss to Phoenix and scored four points and then finished with nine and 11 respectively in the home-and-home series with Seattle. ... The Clippers have four games remaining during this seven-game stretch against the NBA's elite and hold a 17-17 record. If they are at .500 after this ends, it will be a "major accomplishment" according to Dunleavy. ... Although he has played decently in the absence of point guard Marko Jaric, G Rick Brunson is shooting just 30.2 percent (13-of-43) in his last five games. ... Forward Elton Brand tied a season low with three rebounds Wednesday, marking the 17th time he finished below his average of 8.7.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS: The Lakers have won their last four home games but are holding their breath after Kobe Bryant severely sprained his right ankle in the first quarter of Thursday's win over the Cavaliers. Going up for a rebound, he came down on Cavaliers guard Ira Newble. X-Rays were negative and an MRI Friday confirmed the intial diagnosis and he will be re-evaluated in about 72 hours and an official estimate will be given. While no official timetable has been announced, Bryant didn't sound optimistic. "It's the worst one I've ever had," Bryant told the LA Times. "Crunching, instant throbbing. A lot of pain right now. I can't hop on one leg. My foot when it's not weight-bearing, kind of jiggles a little bit and that hurts like crazy. This one might be weeks, bro. It doesn't feel like a day-to-day thing." Two months ago, Bryant was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis in his left foot and also has sustained a strained left shoulder and sprained right thumb this year. ... The injury also denied a national television audience the coveted matchup between Bryant and LeBron James. In James' first visit to LA last season, Bryant sprained his right shoulder in the second quarter and did not return and in the Lakers' game in Cleveland, Bryant was out with a cut finger. ... Bryant's latest injury was not the only scary thing to happen to the Lakers this week. On Thursday as the Lakers were returning from Denver, their charter jet aborted a landing attempt at LA International Airport due to a broken wing flap. A hour later, the 737 landed safely with numerous emergency-response vehicles on the tarmac. "It didn't get to any panic or anything like that, but I know some things were going through my head about wanting to do some positive things in life, not only in basketball but in other fields," coach Rudy Tomjanovich told the Times. "When we came down, it was like Christmas with the red lights. ... When the Lakers beat Denver at home January 2, Bryant scored 42 points and Nuggets interim coach Michael Cooper, claimed they held him check. ... In his first appearance in Colorado since his sexual trial ended, Bryant faced less media and scored 16 points, his third-lowest total of the season. ... Considering they were facing a team that had lost five in a row and didn't return from Sacramento in mid-morning Wednesday, Tomjanovich was less than pleased, holding a vocal halftime talk and an animated chat afterwards. ... The loss denied the Lakers a third straight win, putting them with the Hornets, Bobcats and Hawks as the only teams yet to win three in a row. ... Speaking of travel problems, the Lakers were stuck on the ground for more than three hours in icy Minneapolis while Denver air traffic controllers were waiting to clear the plane for takeoff. ... The injury may put more of the spotlight on the other Lakers and that happened in Monday's 105-96 win at Minnesota. Bryant was on the bench as the Lakers opened the fourth with a 24-7 run. ... The triangle offense was a staple of the Lakers under coach Phil Jackson and it was brought back last Friday during their 111-104 win over Houston and worked on Sunday during practice. That gave Bryant a chance to clear the air about whether he liked the style. "If people think I didn't like the triangle, that's a misconception," he told the Times. "I love the offense. It gives great movement, it's very flexible. There's a flow to it so the defense can't sit and anticipate what you're going to do. It's all reads and we have a good time running it." ... A few week ago, Devean George was hoping to return from left ankle surgery and make his season debut in his hometown of Minneapolis but did not travel and may need more weeks to recover. ... Over his last four games, Caron Butler is averaging 18 points and seven rebounds. ... Last Friday's win over Houston was LA's first in 13 games when allowing more than 100 points. Bryant also recorded his 40th career double-digit assist game and the Lakers are 31-9 in those games. ... Rookie guard Sasha Vujacic scored a career-high seven points Wednesday and played a career-best 26 minutes Thursday.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: The Grizzlies have won six of their last seven games as they had a season-high six-game winning streak stopped with Tuesday's 86-85 loss to the Pacers. Memphis missed 11 foul shots and coach Mike Fratello could see it coming since his team was a mediocre 76.6 percent (105-of-137) from the line during the winning streak. "It was coming," he told the Memphis Commerical-Appeal. "You tempt your fate enough times and it's going to get you. In the New Orleans game (last Friday) we missed only one or tow. But in the two games prior to that, we had horrendous games (at the free throw line). We've talked about it." The Grizzlies have won 12 of the 20 games they've missed more than five foul shots and Pau Gasol was 6-of-12 from the line Tuesday while counterpart Jermaine O'Neal was 11-of-11. ... The loss prompted a 90-minute film watching session before Wednesday's practice. In addition the bad foul shooting, the Grizzlies missed three chances in the final 4.6 seconds to score the game-winning basket, including a pair of misses by Gasol. Gasol scored 31 points Tuesday, three shy of his season-high and just the second 30-point of his season. He played a season-high 43 minutes Tuesday but had just one basket in the fourth. Gasol also became the sixth player in franchise history to convert a four-point play. The others are Shane Battier, Will Solomon, Dennis Scott, Anthony Peeler and Greg Anthony. He also scored his 5,000th career point and his 500th career block. In 275 career games, he has 5,023 points and 502 blocks. It is 10th fastest since the league began keeping records in 1973-74. ... When recording 10 or more blocks, the Grizzlies are 6-0. They last did that in Friday's win at New Orleans and are averaging 9.17 blocks in their last six games. ... In last Thursday's win at Detroit, Memphis set numerous season bests with 12 3-pointers, 15 steals, 21 field goals allowed and 67 attempts allowed. ... Foward James Posey missed Tuesday's game with plantar fasciatis in his left foot, marking the 12th contest he sat out and he is questionable for Friday's visit to Charlotte. ... Although the winning streak ended, the Grizzlies have allowed 88.2 points under Fratello and Stromile Swift is not shocked. "I don't think it's a fluke that we've been playing the type of defense we've been playing," he told the Commerical-Appeal Tuesday. "We've been dedicated in practice and carrying it over in games. Some nights the defense might not look good, but we're getting better as a team."

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: If the playoffs began now, the Timberwolves would be on the outside looking in for the first time since 1995-96 - Kevin Garnett's rookie season. But at 17-17 and losers of seven of their last eight games, the Timberwolves are out of answers. Collapses have been major problems during this skid. In games at New York and Charlotte, the Wolves were outscored 19-2 and 22-4 down the stretch. On Monday, Minnesota took a nine-point lead into the fourth against the Lakers and were then outscored 24-7 to start the period. And if that wasn't bad enough, the Wolves were handed an 87-80 loss to the Orlando Magic, scoring their fewest points all season against the league's worst defensive team. The loss dropped to .500 this late in a season for the first time since the lockout-shortended 1999 season. Aftewards, coach Flip Saunders vowed lineup changes for Friday's contest in Denver. "Right now, we're not a very good team," he told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "I'd like to say that we are, but we're not. I have to take accountability for that as do the players and everyone else." ... Point guard Sam Cassell missed his third straight game with a strained right hamstring but was not with the team due a death in the family. Troy Hudson has replaced Cassell and had a season-high 20 points vs. the Lakers but was just 1-of-9 in 20 minutes Wednesday before developing back spasms. ... The 56 points scored by the reserves in Saturday's loss at Washington was the most by Minnesota since the unit totaled 61 vs. Denver January 13, 2003. ... During this slide, the Timberwolves have given up an average of 28.3 points and scored 23 during the fourth quarter while being outshot 47.3 to 39.9 percent. ... Monday's 16-point lead was the biggest the Wolves have blown since allowing the Heat to rally from 18 points down on March 28, 2003 in Miami. ... Since winning five in a row November 26-December 4, the Timberwolves are 6-12. ... The Timberwolves have lost seven straight road games, their longest skid since ending 1999 with 10 straight road losses. The Timberwolves were 15-of-34 from 3-point range December 8 in Philadelphia but since then they are shooting 31.4 percent (76-of-242) from the arc in their last 16 games. ... Garnett's 25 rebounds Wednesday were the most in the league this year and 23 came on the defensive side, the most in regulation since Charles Barkley also had 23 for Houston January 2, 1996 vs. Phoenix. Garnett is shooting just 37.3 percent (25-of-67) over his last four games and Wednesday became thhe 13th player in league history to amass at least 14,000 points, 8,000 boards and 3,000 assists. ... On Monday, reserve forward Mark Madsen was placed on the injured list with a fractured left thumb. He had surgery Saturday and is out indefinitely.

NEW ORLEANS HORNETS: The Hornets locker room was abuzz (no pun intended) with laughter following Tuesday's 88-82 win at New York, a victory that gave them their first winning streak of the season. The Hornets trailed for just 20 seconds and got 18 points from ex-Knick Lee Nailon, who believes that nobody endured a harder training camp than New Orleans. ... But one night later in Detroit reality returned in a 90-76 loss that saw them allow 19 rebounds to Ben Wallace, something coach Byron Scott warned them about. "When you play against this team, you have to be a warrior and that's the bottom line," he told the New Orleans Times Picayune. ... "So I told them either you're going to be here and be a man or not or you're going to be a boy." ... Rookie J.R. Smith scored a career-high 23 points in Saturday's overtime win vs. the Kings but was held to seven and five in his next two games. ... Tuesday's win snapped a 15-game road losing streak and gave them their first win against an Eastern Conference opponent. ... Guard Baron Davis finished with his fourth career triple-double Saturday and moved past Larry Johnson into fifth place on the all-time list in games played Wednesday ... He also is shooting 14-of-58 from three-point range over his last eight games. All the injuries have forced Scott to use 14 different starting combinations but the group of Smith, Rogers, Nailon, P.J. Brown and Davis have been together for a season-high six straight games.

PHOENIX SUNS: The Suns used just seven players Tuesday to score 122 on Miami and win their seventh in a row. But they paid for it the next night in Utah and were handed a 115-108 loss, blowing an early 14-point lead en route to their first loss since December 28 at San Antonio. Quentin Richardson, Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudemire and Joe Johnson all played over 40 minutes Tuesday and Wednesday they each posted less than solid numbers combining for 23-of-51 from the field. "I don't think we had the same energy," Marion admitted to the Associated Press. "We came out of the gates on fire tonight and I think we just relaaxed a little bit. And as soon as we relaxed, they became the aggressors and they started getting all the calls." Tuesday's game marked the second time the Suns used seven players and fourth occasion four starters played at least 40 minutes. ... Richardson was 5-of-12 from 3-point range and has hoisted up at least 10 3-pointers 12 times this season. ... By going scoreless, swingman Casey Jacobsen failed to hit a 3-pointer in his 11th straight game. ... Marion has scored 20 points in six straight games. ... In the Suns previous three defeats, guard Steve Nash had totaled 17 assists but Wednesday he still managed to get 11. ... Guard Joe Johnson is shooting 48.9 percent (48-of-98) in his last eight games.

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS: The Trail Blazers are halfway through their second six-game trip in the last month and are 1-2. Last month, the Blazers split a six-game tour through the Central Divison and Minnesota. This trip began in New York with a 113-105 loss in which the Blazers allowed the Knicks to shoot nearly 60 percent. That was their season-high fourth straight loss and resulted in another slow start. After falling behind 18-4 vs. Miami last Friday, they were in a 19-7 hole and afterwards coach Maurice Cheeks expressed his frustration and decided to change things up with his starters. He told the Portland Oregonian he considered rookie guard Sebastian Telfair and second-year forward Travis Outlaw. "You know what we keep trying to put Sebastian, Travis and Ruben out on the floor to save us after we get down," he told the newspaper. "But it's always too much to overcome and I don't know if those guys are good enough to start and play 35 minutes. But it's getting to the point where I have to think about." ... Cheeks decided against moving Telfair and Outlaw from the bench, instead giving Damon Stoudamire his first start since December 15 and Joel Przybilla his first start, replacing Derek Anderson and Theo Ratliff. In their 109-100 victory at the Wachovia Center, Stoudamire made five 3-pointer and scored 22 points while Przybilla scored 10 points, grabbed eight rebounds in 27 minutes. "One of the reasons, I made the starting lineup change was to put more energy on the floor," Cheeks told the Oregonian. "It's not like I'm some genius for making this move. We just needed something to get us started and it worked. ... Point guard Nick Van Exel also thrived, scoring a season-high 28 points while draining a team-record eight 3-pointers. In his prior seven games, Van Exel had shot 35 percent (20-of-57). Van Exel broke the record of seven 3-pointers set by Terry Porter in 1992-93 and matched by Stoudamire in 1999-2000 ... The lineup remained intact for Wednesday's 104-100 loss at Washington and has resulted in least amount of playing time for Anderson, who has played 17 and 13 minutes in his last two games, marking the third time he has played fewer than 20 minutes. Anderson is shooting 5-of-21 over his last four games but has spent most of his time worrying about his mother Brenda back in Louisville. His mother went missing after the recovering alcoholic had a relapse and Anderson was planning on leaving the team but she was located and he arranged for her to check into a Houston rehabiliation center. Anderson is having his worst season in terms of shooting percentage and has started to hear boos from Portland fans but told the Oregonian the stressful situation with his mother had nothing to do with his struggles. "This isn't the reason, I was sucking before," he told the Oregonian. ... In Wednesday's game, the Blazers lost forward Zach Randolph to a right knee injury in the second and still almost overcame a 13-point deficit. ... Forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim underwent surgery on his right elbow Wednesday in Los Angeles and had fragaments removed from his elbow. He is expected to be out at least five weeks. ... On Sunday, Portland signed James Thomas, a former University of Texas standout to a 10-day contract. ... Rookie Seung Jin Ha made his debut late in last Friday's loss to Miami and became the first Korean to appear in an NBA game. ... Telfair made his return to New York Sunday and the Coney Island native scored two points and dished out seven assists in 23 minutes while playing against his cousin Stephon Marbury.

SACRAMENTO KINGS: The Kings traded defense for offense Monday when they dealt defensive stopper Doug Christie to Orlando for Cuttino Mobley and Michael Bradley. However, Mobley has yet to suit up because Christie hasn't reported to Orlando. Mobley was on the bench for Thursday's win over Utah and got a huge ovation from the crowd at ARCO arena after being introduced. "I'm just going to bring what I do," Mobley told the Sacramento Bee. "I score, I can play a little bit of 'D'. I'm not Doug. I respect and admire Doug a lot so I'm not trying to fill his shoes. I just want to be Cuttino and if everybody loves me, I'm gonna love you back." On Thursday, the Kings had just nine available bodies and finished with seven. In addition to Mobley and Bradley sitting out, Mike Bibby was out with an ankle injury, making Eddie House the Kings starting point guard. In the second quarter, Greg Ostertag was elbowed in the mouth and got six stitches and in the fourth, Maurice Evans landed hard on the right side of his head and upper body and sustained a mild concussion after being hit by Kirk Snyder and Carlos Boozer. Afterwards 12 stitches were administered to Evans. ... The trade of Christie drew an emotional response from Peja Stojakovic, who found out the news from his father. "I went to his house," Stojakovic told the Bee. "He didn't know what to say because he really loved this team, loved being in Sacramento. We should all appreciate what he did for us. He'll never be forgotten." ... Forward Chris Webber sat out Tuesday's win over Denver with a sore left knee, missing his third game of the season. Evans has started the first two games since the trade of Christie and scored 14 and nine points respectively. ... The trade with Orlando marked Sacramento's first trade during the regular season since February 18, 1998 when forward Michael Smith and guard Bobby Hurley were sent to the Grizzlies for forward-center Otis Thorpe and guard Chris Robinson. ... Rookie Kevin Martin scored a season-high 17 points Tuesday.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS: The Spurs have won their last 10 home games since losing to Seattle December 8. They kept their home winning streak going with wins over Indiana, Denver and Milwaukee. ... Wednesday's 94-79 win over the Bucks featured some solid performances from role players. One was 37-year-old Tony Massenburg, who scored six points in 10 minutes, most of which were in the second quarter when the Spurs assumed control. His biggest hoop was a dunk that was the first of 10 straight baskets. He added another dunk and when he sat the Spurs were up by 10. "When you're 37 years old and you're coming in off the bench and as soon as you get into the game, somebody throws you the ball for a dunk - that's not always easy," he told the San Antonio Express-News. "But when you get your adrenaline goine, you don't think about it as much." ... On Monday, the Spurs lost by one at Utah. Of their eight defeats seven have been by six points or less. Also Monday, Bruce Bowen was named Western Conference Player of the Week for averaging 17.3 points on 55.6 percent shooting in three games during the voting period. Bowen, Derek Anderson are the only Spurs besides Tim Duncan to get the honor in the past seven seasons. ... Forward Robert Horry has played at least 20 minutes in his five of his last six games after doing so just three times through the season's first two months.

SEATTLE SONICS: The Sonics won their first two home games following their five-game road trip, beating Miami on Sunday and the Clippers two nights later. The Sonics stopped Miami's 14-game winning streak on January 3 and posted a 108-98 victory over them at Key Arena. The Sonics are the only team with two victories over the Heat and held them without a field goal over the final five minutes and their bench outscored Miami's 66-17. Another impressive stat from the came was the result of Antonio Daniels' tough defense on Dwyane Wade, who was just 1-of-7 in the second half. The win also came on a night where Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen missed a combined 20-of-31 shots. ... After the Miami game, the Sonics split a home-and-home series with the Clippers. Lewis played just limited minutes due to left knee tendinitis and his status for the weekend in a game-time decision. He was not involved in Thursday's practice, instead he was getting massage therapy and electric stimulation for the knee. Foward Reggie Evans returned to the lineup Tuesday after missing three games with a stomach ailment. ... Vitaly Potapenko started Sunday but has only appeared in six games and according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, his agent David Bauman has talked to management about a possible trade. "We're still in the early stages," Bauman told the newspaper. "Vitaly would be very satisfied if he stayed with the Sonics and played the whole season there. He just wished he was more a part of it. He knows he can do a good job." ... Forwards Vladimir Radmanovic and Danny Forston sat out Tuesday's practice. Radmanovic had tendinitis in his left quadriceps and Fortson had an injured toe. Forston played 22 minutes apiece vs. the Clippers while Radmonovic shot 10-of-26 in the two games after scoring a season-high 27 vs. Miami. ... Coach Nate McMillan missed Wednesday's loss following the death of aunt in North Carolina. It was just the second game he has missed in five seasons.

UTAH JAZZ: The Jazz finally snapped their losing streak at nine games with back-to-back home wins over the Spurs and Suns. Before the wins, the Jazz had not won since December 20 in Philadelphia and that two-point win stopped a three-game skid. The streak was the longest since the 1982-83 season. The first win a one-point win over the Spurs, who had won 18 in a row over the Jazz. Mehmet Okur scored 23 points and his put-back won the game, which featured a career-high 18 points from Keith McLeod. "That was a great win for these guys," coach Jerry Sloan told the Salt Lake Tribune. "I thought we did a terrific job coming down the stretch. These guys are really excited and I'm excited for them because they really deserve it." Two nights later they overcame an early 14-point deficit and pulled out a 115-108 victory over the Suns and Okur turned in another strong performance, finishing with 21 points and 17 rebounds, helping the Jazz to a 55-35 edge on the glass. ... Guard Raja Bell returned from a 10-day absence due to sore knees and scored 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting. ... Forward Andrei Kirilenko was hoping to return Saturday but that was nixed by Sloan. His new timetable is to practice late next week and if that goes well he is shooting for a January 22 returnn. "I'm not going to put a player out there if I think there's any question at all about when he should play, especially when he's been out as long as he has," Sloan told the Tribune. "He's a young player. His career is more important down the line than it is to me for two games." Kirilenko severely sprained his right MCL in his knee ligament November 27 at San Antonio and the Jazz are 5-19. ... Guard Carlos Arroyo played just two minutes Monday and was a DNP-CD the next two nights. He called the benching a little unfair and Sloan responded to the Tribune before Thursday's 107-93 loss in Sacramento. "I'm the boss here," he told the newspaper. "It's not (Arroyo's) team, and it's not Andrei's or anybody else's team. It wasn't Karl (Malone) and John's (Stockton) team. Larry (Miller) told me it was my team. Sloan continued by telling the newspaper that McLeod looks like he wants to give the Jazz the best effort. ... Utah's seven-game road losing streak is its longest since 1996-97. ... Okur has posted double-doubles in six of his last seven games and now has 10 this season.