Memphis Grizzlies rookie center Hasheem Thabeet left Tuesday night’s game with a broken jaw. Thabeet collided with teammate Zach Randolph. No word yet on how long this will sideline him, but the #2 overall pick wasn’t offering much in the way of production. Thabeet, who has looked frail and lost early in the beginning of the season, appears to be the best bet for the dreaded “bust” label thus far. The Grizzlies will likely ask backup center Hamed Haddadi to log a few extra minutes per game.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Washington: Washington Wizzards PG Gilbert Arenas (sore calf) was a surprise start on Tuesday and subsequently finished the game with 21 points, five rebounds, eight assists, three steals and set a franchise record with an amazing 12 turnovers. Arenas came into this game averaging only 3.7 turnovers per game.

Denver: With Tuesday’s win, Nuggest head coach George Karl past Red Auerbach for the eighth-most wins in NBA history.

Denver: Denver Nuggets PF J.R. Smith returned from his seven-game suspension on Tuesday.
Smith played 29 minutes off the bench, finishing with five points on 1-of-9 shooting, three rebounds, five assists and three turnovers. Coach George Karl recently said his minutes would be in the “low 20s” for a while, but it’s a great sign that he played almost 30 minutes on a rough shooting night like this.

Miami: The Heat moved to 6-1 on the season due in large part to a 41 point performance by superstar Dwyane Wade. Wade had an outstanding shooting performance 14-of-29 FGs, 12-of-13 FTs) and also chipped in five rebounds, five assists, three steals, one block and just two turnovers. Wade, who lead the league in scoring last season, is locked in for another big year.

Memphis: Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol led the team with 20 points on Tuesday, going 5-of-9 from the field and 10-of-13 from the FT line. Gasol also added one steal and two blocks with zero turnovers. Gasol, who is noticeably thinner this season, is becoming a solid NBA player.

Charlotte: Bobcats C Tyson Chandler was outplayed and overwhelmed by Magic center Dwight Howard on Tuesday, struggling with foul trouble and managing just two points, three rebounds and one block. He is coming back from an injury-marred 2008-09 season and missed most of the preseason, but if you can stay patient he might pick it up as the season wears on.

Orlando: Magic PG Jameer Nelson didn’t seem bothered by the slight knee injury he sustained on Sunday, finishing a win over Charlotte Bobcats with nine points, two 3-pointers, two rebounds and three assists. Nelson hasn’t had many big games yet this season, but we’re confident he’ll get rolling as he adjusts to new teammates Vince Carter, Brandon Bass and Matt Barnes.