EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) Karl Malone is probably headed to the injured list for the first time in his outstanding 19-year career.

And Shaquille O'Neal will likely be fined as punishment for not informing the Los Angeles Lakers he was missing practice Wednesday.

Malone, the NBA's second-leading career scorer behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, sprained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee Dec. 21 in the first quarter of a game against Phoenix and hasn't played since.

Recovery hasn't gone as quickly as hoped.

``It's a downer,'' Malone said after practice Wednesday. ``You want to be with the guys. The main thing for me to do is all the things I need to do to get better.

``Missing, seven, eight, nine games in one spell when I haven't missed that many in 18 years is discouraging. I feel like I'm letting people down. We want to make sure I come back when I'm supposed to, not a game or two too early.''

The 40-year-old Malone missed 10 games before this season _ six due to injuries or illness and four because of suspensions _ and never sat out more than two games in any one season.

He joined the Lakers as a free agent last summer after playing his first 18 seasons with the Utah Jazz.

``If I could just jog from free throw line to free throw line, I could play now,'' Malone said. ``I can't cut. May, June is more important than December, January.

``I look like I'm headed there (to the injury list). Going on the list, I'm looking at (missing) five more games, I don't like that. I don't want to go on the list, but I don't want to hold anybody else back.''

Lakers coach Phil Jackson said a decision would probably be made Friday night in Seattle before the Lakers face the SuperSonics.

Jackson said Malone definitely won't play at Seattle or against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night, and it's very unlikely he'll travel for games at Minnesota and Denver next week.

If Malone is placed on the injured list before Friday night's game, he would also sit out a home game against Atlanta on Jan. 9 and be eligible to return against Cleveland in another home game three days later.

Jackson said if Malone is put on the injured list, it's possible Rick Fox will be activated. Fox, who hasn't played since having surgery to repair a torn tendon in his left foot May 12, has said he's close to being ready to play.

Jackson said O'Neal ``showed up missing'' for practice.

``When he was contacted, he said he had some back problems,'' Jackson said. ``He was still in bed, was going to see a specialist.''

Jackson said he expects O'Neal to travel to Seattle with the team Thursday, meaning he doesn't believe the injury is serious.

By not calling in, O'Neal committed an offense that merited a fine, Jackson said.

Jackson said O'Neal hurt himself during practice Tuesday, but said it wasn't a practice-related activity and was uncertain whether it happened in the weight room.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Karl Malone, who sprained his medial collateral ligament Dec. 21, had it examined Sunday but it is still up in the air as to whether he can play on Friday against the Seattle Supersonics.

"As of today," Laker spokesperson John Black said, "it would be unlikely he'd be able to play by [Friday]."

The Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings will begin the new year with the NBA's best records after finishing 2003 with victories.

Shaquille O'Neal had 22 points and 16 rebounds, and six of his teammates scored in double figures Sunday night in the Lakers' 105-82 victory over the Boston Celtics.

The Lakers (21-7) snapped a two-game losing streak in winning for only the third time in seven games following a 10-game winning streak.

Sacramento (20-7) also snapped a two-game losing streak by defeating Utah 98-89. Peja Stojakovic scored 20 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter, finishing 10-of-22 from the field and 13-of-14 on free throws.

The Lakers won't play again until Friday against Seattle, while the Kings are off until a Saturday matchup with the Clippers.

Both teams were happy to go into those long stretches of downtime with victories.

``You have poor stretches during the season, its natural,'' Kings coach Rick Adelman said. ``We lose to Dallas, lose to Golden State and struggle against Utah. But you have to fight through games like these.''

Elsewhere Sunday, Cleveland defeated Portland 86-74, San Antonio topped Milwaukee 89-74, Toronto beat the Los Angeles Clippers 94-88, Phoenix downed Philadelphia 100-92 and Denver defeated Golden State 103-79.

Derek Fisher scored 15 points, Devean George added 14, Gary Payton had 13, and Kobe Bryant scored 11 while shooting 5-of-18 for the Lakers, who outrebounded the Celtics 55-35.

O'Neal scored the first seven points of the third quarter to give Los Angeles a 64-49 lead. The Celtics drew within eight points before the Lakers outscored them 9-2 to finish the period, making it 79-64.

Fisher then scored the first five points of the fourth quarter to give the Lakers a 20-point lead, and another 3-pointer by Fisher with six minutes left made it 93-69.

``The Lakers beat the living hell out of us, so if they were in a slump, they seem to be out of it,'' Boston coach Jim O'Brien said.

Following a 10-game winning streak, the Lakers allowed their pervious six opponents to average 104.7 points. But they held the Celtics to 82, only 33 in the second half.

``This gets us back on track,'' O'Neal said. ``Now, we just have to be consistent. It's all about us.''

Kings 98, Jazz 89

At Sacramento, Stojakovic made three 3-pointers and a three-point play during a productive four-minute stretch to help the Kings pull away.

``Peja is one of the best shooters, if not the best shooter in the league,'' teammate Vlade Divac said. ``He understands he is the main guy on this team, especially when we are down.''

Mike Bibby scored 23 points for Sacramento, which has defeated the Jazz five straight times.

``We got away with a win,'' Kings coach Adelman said. ``In a lot of ways, they let us stay in the game. We have a break now and get to prepare for a tough January.''

Cavaliers 86, Trail Blazers 74

At Cleveland, LeBron James scored 32 points, including 12 in a 14-2 game-closing spurt.

James scored six straight points to put Cleveland ahead 78-72 with 5:48 to play, then capped the run with the final six points _ the last two on a resounding reverse dunk with 34 seconds left after a steal near midcourt.

``When I heard the crowd after that dunk, I had to stop and say, `Is this really Gund Arena?''' James said.

Spurs 89, Bucks 74

At San Antonio, the Spurs won their 13th in a row by holding Milwaukee to its lowest point total of the season.

``The guys have been great making defense their primary focus all these games,'' Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, ``because we have games with too many turnovers and a lot of games where we don't shoot free throws.''

Sunday fit both of those categories: San Antonio had 17 turnovers, though only five in the second half, and went 19-for-35 at the line.

Raptors 94, Clippers 88

At Los Angeles, Jalen Rose had 23 points and Vince Carter scored seven of his 22 points in the final 3:44.

Donyell Marshall had 19 points and nine rebounds for the Raptors, who ended an 18-game road losing streak against Western Conference opponents.

Suns 100, 76ers 92

At Phoenix, Stephon Marbury scored 16 of his 17 points in the first half to stake the Suns to a 19-point lead and they held on to snap a three-game losing streak. Shawn Marion scored 26 points and Joe Johnson added 23.

Nuggets 103, Warriors 79

At Denver, Marcus Camby's 17 points led seven players in double figures to help the Nuggets win their third straight. Denver overcame a miserable first quarter for its 11th win in 13 home games.

Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant said in a televised interview Thursday night that he sometimes becomes distracted or scared as he fights a felony sexual assault charge.

``You're just ... living in a nightmare and just can't really wake up out of it,'' Bryant said in the interview broadcast on ABC at halftime of the Lakers' 99-87 loss to Houston.

Bryant is charged with attacking a 19-year-old employee at a Colorado resort in June. He has said the two had consensual sex.

Asked if he has trouble keeping his mind on basketball during games, Bryant said: ``Sometimes it wanders and I have to try to bring myself back to center. It's human nature, I guess.''

He said he is sometimes ``a little bit'' scared.

``If you can't control, you just kind of have to let it go. And at times that can be extremely difficult but, you know, you do it,'' he said.

Bryant is scheduled to return to Eagle, Colo., for another hearing Jan. 23. He faces four years to life in prison or 20 years to life on probation if convicted.

It is not a stretch to assume Don Chaney has four games between this weekend and the new year to save his job as coach of the New York Knicks.

Isiah Thomas has been on the team's president for only a few days, but already he didn't like what he saw Tuesday night when Latrell Sprewell returned to Madison Square Garden with curses and taunts in a Minnesota Timberwolves' victory that dropped New York's record to 10-19.

``Something happened in our house (Tuesday) night that I hope won't happen again,'' Thomas told reporters on Christmas Eve before returning home to Indiana. ``I look at what went on in our house, it was something that won't ever happen again. Right now, we're down. Sometimes people kick you when you're down. We've got to stand up and we will stand up.''

Thomas, who replaced fired team president Scott Layden on Monday, planned to rejoin the Knicks on a three-game road trip that began Friday night in Memphis and included stops in Miami and Orlando. The Knicks play their final game of 2003 at home Tuesday against the Heat.

With an edict from owner James Dolan that the team ``must'' make the playoffs, Chaney will be under extra scrutiny in the first few games of the Thomas era to see if he is the right coach to lead the Knicks out of the Layden era.

Thomas, who has already called the Knicks a ``sick patient,'' made three minor personnel moves by waiving 7-foot-5 center Slavko Vranes, a second-round pick on the injured list all season; placing forward Clarence Weatherspoon on the injured list; and activating rookie first-round pick Michael Sweetney, who was taken by Layden with the ninth pick of the first round last June.

If Thomas tries to shake up the Knicks with a trade, he'll need to find a team willing to take on one of the long-term contracts given out in recent years.

Thomas would likely try to package one or more players with expiring contracts (Antonio McDyess, Charlie Ward, Michael Doleac) together with Shandon Anderson (signed through '06-07 for $23.7 million), Howard Eisley (owed $20.7 million through '06-07) Keith Van Horn ($30 million through '05-06), Weatherspoon ($12.2 through '05-06) or Allan Houston ($57 million through '06-07).

Two of the Knicks' other potentially movable players, Kurt Thomas ($5.9 million) and Othella Harrington ($3.1 million), have contracts that expire after next season.

``You always want the best players,'' Thomas said. ``There aren't a lot of those walking around. We have to find other creative ways to beat the bushes and come up with talent.''

PASSING RILEY:@ Don Nelson passed Pat Riley for second place on the career coaching victories list when the Dallas Mavericks beat the Toronto Raptors 111-94 Monday night. The 1,111th victory of Nelson's 26-year coaching career came in his 3,000th NBA game as a player or coach.

``Any time Pat wants this record back, he can have it. All he has to do is go back into coaching and coach some more,'' said the self-effacing Nelson.

``The way I look at myself, to be quite honest _ there are some great, great coaches. Pat Riley's one of them, and Red Auerbach and Lenny Wilkens, any of the guys who have gotten up in that 60-percentile of winning percentage.

``I'm passing some good ones, but I'm not in their caliber or their class,'' Nelson said.

Phil Jackson is the winningest coach in NBA history in terms of percentage, entering this season with a success rate of nearly 73 percent. Billy Cunningham is second with a .698 winning percentage, and K.C. Jones was third at .674.

Riley retired with a winning percentage of .661 in 21 seasons with the Lakers, Knicks and Heat, making the playoffs in all but his final two seasons. Wilkens, who was fired by Toronto at the end of last season after amassing 1,292 victories, had a career winning percentage of .537.

Nelson's career percentage is .570.

``I'm a good basketball coach, but there are lots of guys like me around that do a good job. I've just been fortunate to do it for a long, long time. And to be quite honest, I don't even want to pass them. I shouldn't even be up there with them,'' Nelson said.''

FREE KOBE:@ Kobe Bryant plans to be a free agent next summer after opting out of his current deal with the Lakers, although he says his preference is to remain in Los Angeles.

But will it be with his current team, or with the Clippers?

The Lakers' co-tenants at the Staples Center will be one of the few teams with enough salary cap space to offer Bryant anything close to what Lakers owner Jerry Buss can offer. And, there's a school of thought that says Bryant will want to remain in a large market if he leaves the Lakers and signs elsewhere.

With San Antonio and Utah the only other teams expected to have major cap space, what better large market than the one he's already in?

``I've never really been a free agent before, so I'd kind of like to see what's out there. Now it doesn't mean that I want to leave the Lakers, you know my preference is to stay here,'' Bryant told ABC in an interview that aired at halftime of the Lakers' loss to the Houston Rockets on Thursday.

``That's not something that I'm going to harp on during the season or dwell on during the season. It's something that when the time comes, you know, I'll think about it.''

Rick Fox hopes to return from a torn tendon in his left foot that he sustained during last year's playoffs prehaps in two weeks.

He is targeting the Lakers' home game on Jan 9. to make his season debut.

"I could play if I had to right now," Fox said Thursday, before the Lakers played a Christmas Day game he originally intended to be part of. "The last two weeks have been very heartening in the sense that two weeks ago, I was still in that realm of uncertainty. But I feel way beyond the point of uncertainty now, and it's just a matter of continued strength building."

On Tuesday, Lakers forward told the team that is knee was improving and has convinced them not to put him on the injured list.

"Coach Phil Jackson said that Malone had "improved dramatically," a description tempered by team officials. Malone will take daily treatment for his sprained right medial collateral ligament and be examined by team physicians Monday"

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) Karl Malone will miss at least three games because of a sprained knee ligament, a rare injury for Lakers' star forward.

Malone, who has missed only 11 games in his 18-plus NBA seasons, had an MRI examination Monday, and the news was better than expected. When the injury occurred in Sunday night's game against Phoenix, Malone said he heard something pop in his right knee.

``It is good news. I think it's really good news,'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson said after Monday's practice. ``We have to look at it that way.''

Lakers spokesman John Black said Malone, 40, will be re-evaluated next week by Dr. Steve Lombardo, who performed the MRI at the Kerlin-Jobe/HealthSouth Orthopedic Clinic.

Malone, the NBA's second leading career scorer, was injured in the first four minutes of the Lakers' 107-101 victory over Phoenix when he was fouled by Scott Williams.

Malone has played in 1,458 regular-season games while missing only 11 _ six because of injury or illness, and five due to suspension. He'll add to that total starting Tuesday night when the Lakers play at Golden State.

Malone will also miss the Lakers' game on Christmas Day against Houston and Sunday night's contest against Boston. Both will be played at Staples Center.

Malone is averaging 14 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 24 games this season _ his first with the Lakers. Malone played his first 18 NBA seasons with the Utah Jazz.

``We're just happy that it's not too serious,'' teammate Kobe Bryant said. ``We have to have guys come off the bench and make significant contributions.''

LOS ANGELES (AP) Lakers forward Karl Malone sprained his right knee in the opening minutes of Sunday night's game against the Phoenix Suns, causing him to leave the game.

Malone fell to the floor after being fouled by Scott Williams and grabbed his knee. After a brief delay, Malone made one of two free throws before leaving the game 10 seconds later and walking to the Lakers' locker room.

A team spokesman said Malone was undergoing X-rays and would not return.

Malone, the NBA's second-leading career scorer behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, has missed only 11 games in his career _ six due to injuries or illness and five because of suspensions.

The 40-year-old Malone joined the Lakers as a free agent last summer after playing 18 seasons for the Utah Jazz.

Lakers forward Karl Malone went down with a sprained right knee in the first quarter of Sunday's game against the Phoenix Suns.

"Malone was injured less than four minutes into the game, when Phoenix forward Scott Williams landed hard on his knee."

X-Rays were taken and they came back normal but Malone will have an MRI this morning to see if their is any damage to the knee.