Dwyane Wade scored 36 points on 12-of-26 shooting (including three 3-pointers) with 10 rebounds, seven assists, a steal, and a block in the Heat’s 108-102 overtime loss to the Orlando Magic on Thursday. He is playing like a man possessed lately, averaging 32.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 2.2 steals per game in the month of March.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Orlando: Dwight Howard got his 15th technical foul of the season, and played just 31 foul-plagued minutes on his way to 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting with 11 rebounds, one assist, and four blocks in Thursday’s win over the Miami Heat. One more technical foul for him and he will be suspended for a regular season game, which only serves to put owners on edge for the rest of the season, since it’s unlikely he’ll be on their benches unless his free throw woes and/or turnovers are proving to be too meddlesome.

Orlando: Matt Barnes logged 40 minutes against the Heat on Thursday despite his sprained toe, and finished with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting (including a three) with nine rebounds and three assists. Surely the Magic didn’t want him to have to play this much, but with Mickael Pietrus (ankle) out for at least a week they don’t really have a choice. Barnes defended Dwyane Wade for much of the game, illustrating how much Orlando needs him, and luckily for him his next game isn’t until Monday.

Charlotte: Peja Stojakovic (groin) said Thursday that he still doesn’t have a timetable for his return as he has hit the halfway point of his original two-week projection. “It has improved,” said Stojakovic. “But I wouldn’t say a great deal. I’d say it’s better this last week, since we started the road trip. It’s getting better.” These are not words that fantasy owners should be counting on, as it’s looking like he’ll be back for just a handful of games.

Oakland: Kelenna Azubuike said Thursday that he is leaning towards taking a $3.3 million player option available to him for the 2010-11 season, which is the last year of his contract. “I’m leaning toward a certain way – coming back,” said Azubuike, which is a welcoming piece of news for the Warriors.

Washington: Andray Blatche (sprained left ankle) said that he will play Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers, but coach Flip Saunders has been a bit less optimistic saying he is 50-50 to play. “It’s a little tender. I’m going to try to play – no, I’m not going to try, I’m going to play,” Blatche said. “I’m just going to work through it.” He also added, that “the pain, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being worst, it’s probably a five.” This will be a case of a player’s heart versus a coach’s mind, and owners would be wise to heed Saunders’ assessment of “50-50.”

Thaddeus Young has a fractured right thumb and is out indefinitely. So much for Thadd just having a cracked thumbnail. His thumb will be placed in a removable cast and he’s been ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the New Jersey Nets. The only good news is that the injury is to Young’s non-shooting hand, but there is no timetable for his return. This means Lou Williams’ spot in the starting five should be safe going forward.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Indiana: Danny Granger exited with under a minute remaining in Tuesday’s game after being elbowed in the face. Granger appeared woozy on his way to the locker room and didn’t return to the game. He scored 26 points with three 3-pointers, eight rebounds and five turnovers before leaving.

New Jersey: Nets big man Josh Boone swooped in for a season-high 20 rebounds in Tuesday’s game, adding 13 points on 5-of-7 FGs and 3-of-5 FTs. Clearly Boone was doing something right tonight, but the eventual return of Yi Jianlian is one reason for skepticism, as is Boone’s career 45% free throw shooting.

New Jersey: Terrence Williams made just 5-of-16 shots in Tuesday’s loss, but added 5-of-6 free throws to finish with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists.

San Antonio: Manu Ginobili led the San Antonio Spurs with 22 points on Tuesday, making 7-of-14 FGs, 2-of-5 threes, and 6-of-6 FTs. Manu played nearly 36 minutes after playing just 18 in an easy win on Saturday.

Miami: Michael Beasley returned from his bruised thigh on Tuesday with just six points on 3-of-10 shooting, five rebounds, and zero assists. The Miami Heat were dead in the water for most of this game (interrupted only by a brief, bench-led surge in the second half) and it’s hard how much of Beasley’s struggles were caused by his recent injury.

Atlanta: Playing SG on Tuesday, veteran Mike Bibby (back) had 10 points, two 3-pointers, three rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes.

Atlanta: Jamal Crawford made 11-of-18 field goals for 25 points on Tuesday, adding two 3-pointers, three rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes. It didn’t hurt that Joe Johnson was out, but when Crawford gets hot he tends to score 20+ regardless of the circumstances.

Charlotte: Stephen Jackson was very active with Gerald Wallace out on Tuesday — he piled up 20 points, nine rebounds, six assists, three steals, two blocks and six turnovers in over 47 minutes.

Utah: Deron Williams aggravated his shoulder during Sunday’s loss to the Thunder, and briefly left the game, but returned and finished with 27 points on 8-of-14 shooting (including a three) with two rebounds, 14 assists, and a steal.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Miami: Dwyane Wade scored 38 points on 14-of-25 shooting (including a three) with five rebounds, two assists, five steals, and a block in the Miami Heat’s 104-91 win over the Sixers on Sunday.

Miami: Jermaine O’Neal was ejected during the second half of Sunday’s game against the Sixers after grabbing Samuel Dalembert’s face in retaliation for an accidental poke in the eye by Dalembert. He finished with 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting with eight rebounds and a block. He could be facing a suspension from the league

Utah: Wesley Matthews scored a career-high 29 points with the Jazz missing Andrei Kirilenko (calf) and Mehmet Okur (back) on Sunday, hitting 9-of-11 shots from the field including six 3-pointers, three rebounds, and no assists in 35 minutes. He has been starting and playing a very consistent 25 mpg over the past few weeks, but with the Utah Jazz ailing they needed him to step up — and he did.

Orlando: Matt Barnes told reporters that he expects to play Wednesday against the Spurs despite a sprained big toe in his left foot that caused him to miss Sunday’s game. Coach Stan Van Gundy was reportedly optimistic about his chances even if his words were measured, saying “I would hope with us not playing again until Wednesday that this would be the only one he’d miss, but you never know.” With the Orlando Magic playing just two games this week, we’re not sure if it matters.

Orlando: Mickael Pietrus started for injured Matt Barnes (sprained toe) on Sunday, and scored 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting (5-of-7 from downtown) with five rebounds and no assists in 42 minutes of action.

Charlotte: Stephen Jackson scored 28 points on 10-of-20 shooting (including three 3-pointers) with six rebounds, six assists, and a steal as the Charlotte Bobcats went into Orlando and beat the Magic by a score of 96-89. The win ties a franchise record for consecutive wins with six, and for Jackson we may be seeing the beginning of a hot streak, as he has scored at least 24 points in three straight games.

Cleveland: Antawn Jamison returned from a one-game absence due to a sore knee on Sunday, and double-doubled with 15 points on 6-of-17 shooting, 12 rebounds, no assists, and two blocks in 30 minutes.

Michael Finley will sign with the Celtics in the next couple of days, a source tells Yahoo’s Marc Spears. The Celtics are stocking up on scoring off the bench, but Finley isn’t a real answer. He’ll eventually take some minutes away from Tony Allen and Marquis Daniels. Finley was waived by the Spurs on Monday after complaining about his role and is expected to report to the Boston Celtics on Saturday.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Memphis: Zach Randolph scored 31 points on 12-of-18 shooting with 18 rebounds, one assist, and one steal in Thursday’s 105-96 win over the Bulls. This marked his 43rd double-double of the season, and he is the second-best rebounder in the NBA (11.8 boards per game entering tonight), with the 12th best scoring average (20.7 points per game entering tonight).

Miami: Dwyane Wade scored 27 points on 9-of-21 shooting with five rebounds, a season-high 14 assists, and a steal in the Miami Heat’s 114-111 overtime win over the Lakers on Thursday.

Chicago: Kirk Hinrich injured his right ankle during the beginning of the fourth quarter of Thursday’s game, and stayed in the game until the two-minute mark when he tweaked it again and did not return. He left with 13 points, four assists, four steals, and two blocks. He was limping significantly throughout the fourth quarter, and surprisingly stayed in the game until he turned the ankle again late.

Houston: Trevor Ariza (hip) will not play in this weekend’s back-to-back games against the Wolves and Pistons. The Houston Rockets were hopeful Ariza would be ready for Saturday, but he’s now targeting Tuesday for his return. He has missed the last five games and Houston has gone 2-3 over that span.

Charlotte: Chris Paul (knee) has still not been given clearance to run. Paul is exactly four weeks removed from the surgery that cleaned up meniscus cartilage in his left knee, and the Hornets still have no official target date for his return. He’s riding a bike and shooting around, but admitted that the knee still doesn’t feel great. Mid-March has been speculated as a return date by beat writers.

Philadelphia: Tawanna Iverson has filed for divorce from Allen Iverson and for custody of their five children. The Sixers cut ties with Iverson for the remainder of the season yesterday. Obviously Iverson has more important things on his plate than basketball.

Dallas: Jason Terry will see a doctor on Thursday due to swelling in his face after he took a shot from Corey Brewer on Wednesday. We’ll know more about his future status after the visit to the doctor, but he was able to return and finish tonight’s game. He had 26 points and five threes in the absence of Jason Kidd.

The Wizards and Mavericks sound very close to pulling off a trade, with the principle figures being Caron Butler and Josh Howard. Other players possibly included in the deal are Washington’s Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson, and Dallas’ Drew Gooden and Tim Thomas. Additionally, Antawn Jamison could possibly be going to the Boston Celtics. Any deal won’t likely be finalized until Monday, but it does sound like Butler and Howard are very likely to change teams.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Sacramento: Tyreke Evans was named MVP after leading the rookies to a 140-128 win over the sophomores on Friday night. Evans finished with 26 points, six boards, five assists and five steals on 11-of-15 shooting in the win, while DeJuan Blair went off for 22 points and 23 rebounds. Evans said after the game he wanted to share the award with Blair, which is another example of how good a leader the young Evans really is. Russell Westbrook led the sophs with 40 points.

Denver: Carmelo Anthony is still feeling pain in his elbow after injuring it against the Spurs on Thursday night. Melo better watch out before he gets a “soft” label, although it might be too late. Coach George Karl admitted that Anthony won’t be at 100 percent for Sunday’s All-Star game and he may limit his franchise players’ minutes. We’d expect Anthony to be fine when the Denver Nuggets come out of the break, but he may actually have to play at less than 100 percent.

Miami: Dwyane Wade said Friday that he wants to remain in Miami Heat next season. Wade is an unrestricted free agent after this season and will be one of the most sought-after players on the market. “I want to make sure,” he added, “that we do everything we can to make sure we build a winning program. We do that … I’m satisfied.” We’ll see if that statement provokes the Heat to make a move at the deadline.

Cleveland: The Cavaliers have reportedly put acquiring Antawn Jamison and Troy Murphy on hold as the team targets Amare Stoudemire. The Cleveland Cavaliers could send a package including Wally Szczerbiak, the expiring contract of Zydrunas Ilgauskas and possibly J.J. Hickson. Nothing is set in stone at this point, and Amare’s name is still linked with several possible teams. But it does appear the Cavaliers are very serious in their interest.

Charlotte: In an interview with reporters, Chris Paul shared that he could be walking with less supports soon. “I’m on two crutches right now,” Paul said. “I’m hoping by All-Star Sunday I’ll be down to one crutch or no crutches. It depends on how the rehab goes.” He shares that he’s not reentering the lineup until he’s “100 percent”, so he’s still got a long way to go before returning.

Warriors G Monta Ellis hit 17-of-23 shots and a career-high four 3-pointers on his way to a career-high 46 points in Wednesday’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Ellis is hot again, despite a sore right wrist. He had a steal, a block and some circus shots, but also committed seven turnovers. With nearly no defense being played in Oakland, Ellis could have another big game on any night.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Oklahoma City: Thunder G Russell Westbrook hit 11-of-18 shots for 26 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists and a block in Wednesday’s win over the New Orleans Hornets. Westbrook has nearly double-doubled in each of his last two games and appears to be out of his recent slump. Kevin Durant chipped in with another 30-point performance, which should put him in the lead for the scoring race, but also committed a season-high eight TOs on the night.

Charlotte: Bobcats F Gerald Wallace said in a television interview during Wednesday’s game that he simply “tweaked his hammy” and expects to return to action on Saturday.

Toranto: Raptors F Hedo Turkoglu is expected to return to action on Sunday against the Kings, according to the post-game recap. Turkoglu is being fitted with a mask and should be back on the court this weekend.

Boston: Paul Pierce will not play on Wednesday and is not likely to play on Friday either, according to Doc Rivers. This should not come as a surprise and it’s entirely possible that he could rest until the All-Star break with his sprained left foot.

Boston: Rajon Rondo had 22 points, six rebounds, 14 assists, three steals and two 3-pointers in Wednesday’s win over the Miami Heat. He’s on fire and is proving to be one of the most valuable point guards around.

Sacramento: Kings’ forward Jason Thompson will miss his next two games to a attend a funeral on the East Coast. That means he’s out Wednesday and Friday, but is supposed to rejoin the team for Sunday’s game at Toronto. Maybe this will give him time to clear his head and get back in the mix for Paul Westphal. In the meantime, look for solid play from Spencer Hawes and Jon Brockman.

Portland: LaMarcus Aldridge torched the Jazz for 27 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in Wednesday’s loss. Aldridge has been stepping up with Brandon Roy (hamstring) out. He has 20+ points in four of his last five games and even has five blocks during that span.

Utah: Mehmet Okur went off for 28 points on 11-of-13 shooting in Wednesday’s win over the Blazers. After three straight subpar showings, the Turkish Tornado put up a season-high even though he made just one 3-pointer. It should be a big confidence booster for Okur going forward.

Robin Lopez

Robin Lopez started for the second straight game and posted 20 points, seven rebounds and block, but most importantly it came against his brother. Brook had his usual 23 and 13, but it’s Robin that is one of the hottest young names in the NBA.

Robin Lopez has appeared to steal the starting center position away from Channing Frye, who only played 14 minutes on Wednesday night. It appears that Robin could be a good young big man that will grab rebounds, block shots and shoot for a high percentage from the field.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Detroit: Rodney Stuckey hit 11-of-24 shots for 27 points, a career-high 11 rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block in Wednesday’s win over the Celtics. Stuckey hit just 8-of-26 shots in his last one, so this was a nice bounce back game for him. His production should decrease mildly when the Detroit Pistons get healthy, but who knows when that might happen.

Charlotte: Bobcats SF Gerald Wallace played through his sprained ankle and had 20 points, 10 boards, two assists, two steals, five blocks and two 3-pointers on 5-of-11 shooting in Wednesday’s easy win over the Miami Heat.

Miami: Michael Beasley pulled a Rasheed Wallace and suggested that “it should be an easy win” for the Heat over the red-hot Bobcats on Wednesday, if they stayed focus. The Bobcats came in as one of the hottest teams in the league and throttled the Heat by 39 points, good for a franchise record. Beasley, who had 20 & 10 on Tuesday, hit just 3-of-11 shots for six points, two rebounds and three steals on the night. Maybe he learned a lesson tonight.

Miami: Dwyane Wade hit just 6-of-16 shots for 16 points, four rebounds and one assists as the Heat fell to the Bobcats by a final score of 104-65.

Washington: Randy Foye got hot early and hit 9-of-14 shots and two 3-pointers for a season-high 26 points to go along with three assists, a steal and a block in Wednesday’s loss. Foye has been on fire for the struggling Wizards, and should stay hot as long as they don’t trade for another point guard.

Portland: Brandon Roy said after Wednesday’s win that he’s likely to miss a couple games after aggravating his hamstring injury. “Odds are high that I’ll miss the next two (games) just because we want to be smart with (the injury),” he said

Boston: Rajon Rondo hit 8-of-16 shots for 21 points, eight boards, seven assists and four more steals as the Boston Celtics fell to the Pistons to lose their third straight game for the second time in a month.

Rafer Alston, whose contract was recently bought out by the Nets, is poised to be signed by the Miami Heat and become the teams starting point guard. Alston, who is expected to replace current starter Carlos Arroyo if he does officially sign with Miami, has to be excited about escapting one of the worst teams in the league for a playoff contender. The Nets acquired backup point guard Chris Quinn for a heavily protected draft pick on Tuesday, clearing the way for Alston to go to the Heat.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Washington:  In the continuing saga that is Gilbert Arenas, the NBA is reportedly considering suspending Arenas before the legal process involving his gun possession concludes. While the league usually waits until the courts have made a decision, “Arenas has already admitted to breaking league rules on gun possession both publicly and to federal investigators.” The incident took place in a lockerroom is already smearing the NBA’s public image and most expect David Stern to come down hard on Arenas.

Los Angeles:  Ron Artest (concussion) and Lamar Odom (flu) are expected to play Tuesday against the Houston Rockets.

Utah:  Jazz PG Deron Williams (bruised and sprained right wrist) will be a game-time decision on Wednesday vs. the Grizzlies. X-rays were negative but Williams will have an MRI on Tuesday afternoon, which should determine his status. He is officially listed as day-to-day.

Portland:  Brandon Roy is dealing with a sore right hamstring, which bothered him Monday, when he scored just six points and had his streak of scoring at least 23 points in a game broken at 15. “It’s pretty sore,” Roy said. He suffered the injury during Saturday’s victory over the Golden State Warriors. Roy should be able to play on Tuesday.

Toronto:  Hedo Turkoglu is expected to resume starting at SF on Wednesday after missing one game with the flu. Turk has also been battling a knee injury lately, making him a shaky start until he gets going.

Indiana:  Coach Jim O’Brien said Tuesday that he thinks Danny Granger (heel) is still about two weeks away from returning to action. O’Brien’s estimate would bring Granger back by around Jan. 20, on the long end of the original 4-to-6 week prognosis Granger received Dec. 8.

Philadelphia:  The Philadelphia 76ers have announced that Allen Iverson’s contract has been extended for the remainder of the season.

Iverson has played decently through injury this season, averaging 15.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in nine games with the 76ers. While he’s not the star he once was, he continues to put up consistent stats.

Houston Rockets SG/SF Tracy McGrady and Head Coach Rick Adelman on Friday both denied a Yahoo! Sports report that the two had engaged in a heated argument behind closed doors on Wednesday.

McGrady said he put on his game uniform Wednesday, despite having no targeted date to return from a knee injury, because “I was excited. I put it on, like a little kid. It felt refreshing to put it on because it was in sight.” Adelman said he simply reminded McGrady that he wouldn’t play, at the earliest, until after his Nov. 23 MRI, and that “We haven’t had any arguments. He wants to know what we’re going to do.” Check back after Nov. 23 for updates. It has long been rumored that the Rockets would like to trade McGrady, but there have been not takers.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Toronto: Toronto Raptors C Andrea Bargnani hit 9-of-14 shots and two 3-pointers on his way to 24 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks on Friday. Bargnani, who is starting to live up to his talent, is averaging nearly 18 points, six boards, two threes and more than a block per game thus far in 2009.

Miami: Heat G Mario Chalmers hit 9-of-15 shots and five 3-pointers to score a career-high 30 points in Friday’s loss to the Raptors. Chalmers also added three assists and three steals on the nigh.

Philadelphia 76ers: Lou Williams hit 12-of-16 shots and four 3-pointers on his way to a career-high 31 points to go along with two rebounds, five assists and six steals. Even with the steller performance, Williams and his team lost to Memphis at home.

Indiana: Pacers F/C Troy Murphy returned from a six-game absence with a back injury and had 12 points, 10 boards, on three pointer and two steals in 24 minutes. Barring a setback, Murphy should see steady minutes in Indiana.

Minnesota: An X-Ray revealed that Kevin Love’s broken hand is progressing, but he’s still about two weeks from practicing and three weeks from playing in a game. Love did some outside shooting Friday, and though he says he feels almost no pain in his hand, he is unable to do anything physical. If he returns Dec. 11 against the Los Angeles Lakers, that would put him right in the 6-to-8 week recovery time originally reported when he broke his hand Oct. 16

Washington: Wizards C Brendan Haywood had 14 points and 16 rebounds in Friday’s loss to the Thunder.
Haywood has play great thus far this season, averaging 11 points, 11 boards and 2.5 blocks.

Boston: Celtics F/C Rasheed Wallace hit just 4-of-16 shots and was 0-for-8 from downtown for nine points, 13 boards, three steals and a block in Friday’s loss to Orlando.

1. Celtics (8-3): Nobody has stepped up to knock them off the top yet.
2. Lakers (8-3): Came back down to earth a bit.
3. Suns (10-2): Playing better than expected.
4. Nuggets (8-3): Really dangerous team, both regular and post season.
5. Hawks (9-2): Young and playing good basketball.
6. Magic (8-3): The Magic are a very solid team.
7. Cavaliers (8-3): I though they would be top three in the beginning.
8. Mavericks (8-3): Can they hold up without injuries?
9. Portland Trail Blazers (8-4): They go as Odem goes.
10. Heat (7-3): Wade is carrying this team.
11. Bulls (6-4): Looking to take the next step.
12. Spurs (4-4): They will be there in the end, like usual.
13. Kings (5-5): Surprise of the young NBA season?
14. Bucks (5-3): Middle of the pack, as expected.
15. Pacers (5-3): A few good young players.
16. Thunder (6-5): Exciting to watch.
17. Rockets (6-5): They stay competitive with what they have.
18. Raptors (5-6): Nothing exciting here.
19. Pistons (5-6): Offseason moves not paying off yet.
20. Jazz (4-6): Surprisingly struggling.
21. 76ers (4-6): See Jazz statement above.
22. Clippers (4-8): Clippers will be the Clippers.
23. Hornets (4-8):
24. Bobcats (3-7): Time to start over (for the fifth time)?
25. Wizard (2-7): Finally healthy, look for them to climb a bit.
26. Warriors (3-7): Horrible.
27. Grizzlies (2-8): Can’t believe they were good recently.
28. Knicks (1-9): They don’t even have a first round pick on 2010.
29. Timberwolves (1-10): Terrible.
30. Nets (0-11): I’m taking bets on when the first win will come, 17 sounds good.