Lakers coach Phil Jackson believes that some of center Andrew Bynum's struggles are because of the absence of Kurt Rambis.

Rambis, a former assistant in Los Angeles, is now the head coach of the Timberwolves.

"I think maybe Kurt [Rambis] being in Minnesota might have an effect because Kurt was working with him a lot more than Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] the last year," Jackson said. "I think Kareem had a big impact on Andrew two years ago, three years ago, but Kurt was working with him more hand in hand than Kareem this last year. Kareem hasn't been here in maybe three weeks. I don't know if they're that close in their communications."

Bynum hasn't had a double-double in the last 20 games.

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets top the Western Conference, while LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat lead the Eastern Conference after the third returns of 2010 NBA All-Star Balloting.

Bryant, a three-time All-Star MVP, is the overall leader with 1,606,032 votes, while James, a two-time All-Star MVP, is second overall with 1,579,530.

In the Western Conference, Bryant, who shared the MVP award with Shaquille O?Neal in last year?s All-Star Game and who also garnered the honor in 2002 and 2007, is followed at guard by the Houston Rockets? Tracy McGrady (649,563). Anthony paces forwards in the West (1,410,356) with the Dallas Mavericks? Dirk Nowitzki (753,971) second. The Suns? Amar?e Stoudemire (1,143,849) is the leading vote-getter among Western Conference centers, with the Lakers? Andrew Bynum (676,634) following.

The guards in the Eastern Conference are paced by Wade (1,539,968), followed by the Philadelphia 76ers? Allen Iverson (806,749). While Iverson appears among Western Conference guards on the paper ballot because he began the season with Memphis, his votes count towards the Eastern Conference guards due to his signing with Philadelphia Dec. 3.  James, a two-time All-Star MVP (2006, 2008), paces Eastern Conference forwards, followed by the Boston Celtics? Kevin Garnett (1,317,739), MVP of the 2003 All-Star Game. The Orlando Magic?s Dwight Howard leads all centers with 1,479,625 votes; the Cavaliers? O?Neal is second among centers in the East (536,681).

The leaders of both the Eastern and Western Conference players for the third returns of the 2010 NBA All-Star voting program are as follows:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Forwards: LeBron James (Clev) 1,579,530; Kevin Garnett (Bos) 1,317,739; Chris Bosh (Tor) 644,473; Paul Pierce (Bos) 320,499; Josh Smith (Atl) 293,680; Andre Iguodala (Phi) 201,312; Danny Granger (Ind) 198,478; Michael Beasley (Mia) 163,737; Hedo Turkoglu (Tor) 117,168; Rashard Lewis (Orl) 114,359; Caron Butler (Was) 99,079.

Guards: Dwyane Wade (Mia) 1,539,968; Allen Iverson (Phi) 806,749; Vince Carter (Orl) 651,134; Ray Allen (Bos) 452,708; Gilbert Arenas (Was) 407,581; Derrick Rose (Chi) 344,435; Joe Johnson (Atl) 288,841; Rajon Rondo (Bos) 237,648; Mike Bibby (Atl) 139,484; Jose Calderon (Atl) 138,479.  

Centers: Dwight Howard (Orl) 1,479,625; Shaquille O'Neal (Cle) 536,681; Al Horford (Atl) 157,050; Andrea Bargnani (Tor) 146,595; Brook Lopez (NJ) 133,106; Andrew Bogut (Mil) 115,915; Jermaine O'Neal (Mia) 98,397; Rasheed Wallace (Bos) 77,848; Kendrick Perkins (Bos) 48,612; Samuel Dalembert (Phi) 47,135; Tyson Chandler (Cha) 38,337; Brad Miller (Chi) 35,295.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Forwards: Carmelo Anthony (Den) 1,410,356; Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 753,971; Tim Duncan (SA) 685,390; Pau Gasol (LAL) 667,767; Kevin Durant (OKC) 474,506; Trevor Ariza (Hou) 436,088;
Luis Scola (Hou) 371,914; Shawn Marion (Dal) 282,421; Ron Artest (LAL) 234,618; Lamar Odom (LAL) 175,271; LaMarcus Aldridge (Por) 155,933.

Guards: Kobe Bryant (LAL) 1,606,032; Tracy McGrady (Hou) 649,563; Steve Nash (Pho) 648,558; Chris Paul (NO) 622,619; Jason Kidd (Dal) 405,027; Aaron Brooks (Hou) 374,635; Chauncey Billups (Den) 281,911; Deron Williams (Utah) 255,059; Brandon Roy (Por) 224,350; Manu Ginobili (SA) 222,743; Jason Terry (Dal) 212,242.

Centers: Amar?e Stoudemire (Pho) 1,143,849; Andrew Bynum (LAL) 676,634; Nene (Den) 235,276; Marc Gasol (Mem) 190,476; Antonio McDyess (SA) 130,058; Greg Oden (Por) 124,037; Al Jefferson (Min) 119,580; Marcus Camby (LAC) 100,399; Andris Biedrins (GS) 90,464; Mehmet Okur (Utah) 87,838; Emeka Okafor (NO) 82,616; Spencer Hawes (Sac) 25,109.

Lakers star Kobe Bryant is dealing with a couple of injuries, but insists that nothing will slow him down.

He has dealt with a broken index finger on his shooting hand, a strained elbow and several other ailments this season.

"Injuries don't affect me," said Bryant, who hasn't missed a game. "I'm not going to sit here and say I've got a (bad) knee, I've got a (bad) finger. I'm fine. I'm more than fine. I always keep playing."

There were two 40-plus point performances in the NBA on Tuesday night.

- Cleveland 95, Atlanta 84

The Cleveland Cavaliers (25-8) used doubled up on the Atlanta Hawks (21-9) in the fourth quarter en route to an important win. Maurice Williams had 20 points and five assists, Shaquille O?Neal posted 10 points and eight rebounds and LeBron James added 14 points, 10 dimes and eight boards. Cleveland shot 49% and turned the ball over 20 times. Jamal Crawford scored 26 points on 10-for-17 shooting, Al Horford tallied nine points and nine rebounds and Josh Smith contributed 15 points and eight boards.

- Oklahoma City 110, Washington 98

The Oklahoma City Thunder (17-14) used a big second half to defeat the Washington Wizards (10-20) at the Verizon Center. Kevin Durant starred with 35 points and 11 rebounds, Jeff Green tallied 18 points and four boards and Russell Westbrook chipped in 11 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Oklahoma City hit 54% of their shots and outrebounded Washington by seven. Antawn Jamison scored a team-high 28 points, Brendan Haywood posted 16 points and eight rebounds and Gilbert Arenas put up 24 points, eight assists and seven boards.

- New York 104, Detroit 87

The New York Knicks (12-19) dominated the Detroit Pistons (11-20) on Tuesday night. David Lee excelled with 30 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, Wilson Chandler posted 23 points and nine boards and Chris Duhon totaled 13 points and seven assists. New York shot 51% and outrebounded Detroit by eleven. Ben Gordon had 17 points, Rodney Stuckey tallied 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists and Richard Hamilton scored 15 points on 5-for-21 shooting in the loss.

- Chicago 104, Indiana 95

The Chicago Bulls (12-17) built a huge lead in the first quarter and held off the Indiana Pacers (9-21) at the United Center. Derrick Rose had 28 points, six assists and five rebounds, Luol Deng tallied 15 points and eight boards and Tyrus Thomas brought eight points and 15 rebounds off the bench. Chicago drilled 52% of their shot attempts and turned the ball over 21 times. Roy Hibbert led with 17 points and six rebounds, Luther Head scored 10 points on 4-for-10 shooting and Earl Watson added 10 points and six assists.

- Houston 108, New Orleans 100

The Houston Rockets (19-13) outscored the New Orleans Hornets (13-16) 34-18 in the fourth quarter to record a comeback win on Tuesday night. Aaron Brooks scored 27 points, Luis Scola posted 13 points and 12 rebounds and Carl Landry contributed 18 points and six boards off the bench. New Orleans shot 50%, but Houston went 12-for-23 from three-point land and attempted 12 more foul shots. David West exploded for 44 points and 12 rebounds, Emeka Okafor tallied nine points and six boards and Chris Paul stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

- San Antonio 117, Minnesota 99

The San Antonio Spurs (18-11) had a relatively easy time dispatching of the Minnesota Timberwolves (7-25). Richard Jefferson had 24 points and six rebounds, Tim Duncan tallied 17 points and 10 boards and Manu Ginobili put up 14 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds off the bench. San Antonio held Minnesota to 39% shooting and hit 12-for-24 three-pointers at home. Al Jefferson had 20 points and eight rebounds, Kevin Love posted 18 points and 12 boards and Jonny Flynn scored 17 points on 14 shots.

- L.A. Lakers 124, Golden State 118

The Los Angeles Lakers (25-6) staged a second-half comeback against the pesky Golden State Warriors (9-22). Kobe Bryant starred with 44 points and 11 assists, Pau Gasol posted 27 points and 12 boards and Lamar Odom contributed 11 points and 11 rebounds. Golden State hit 55% of their shots, but Los Angeles won the rebounding battle and attempted more free throws. Corey Maggette scored a team-high 25 points, Monta Ellis tallied 22 points and seven assists and C.J. Watson totaled 14 points and four assists in the loss.

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.? Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

Lakers forward Ron Artest can't remember exactly how he fell down the stairs at his home on Christmas night.

He missed Tuesday's game against the Warriors, but discussed the fall with the media for the first time.

"I'm grateful to be up and talking, and it could have been a whole lot worse," Artest said.

The Lakers are tentatively hoping that he'll be able to return on Friday against the Kings.

"He'll get a workout in [Wednesday]," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "The big danger is obviously elevating heart rate and blood pressure in this type of situation so that's going to be something that we monitor."

The Lakers could get forward Ron Artest back on Tuesday night.

Los Angeles will play Golden State at home.

Artest sustained a concussion and injured his left elbow in a fall at his home on Christmas Day.

He didn't play on Sunday night against Phoenix. Head coach Phil Jackson said Artest was still suffering from dizziness.

The Lakers don't know how long they'll be without forward Ron Artest, who fell down the stairs in his home on Christmas Night.

He suffered a concussion and hurt his elbow in the fall.

Artest didn't face the Kings on Saturday night and hasn't been cleared to play on Monday against the Suns.

"What I was telling the team is that he brings a certain physical presence to our game," coach Phil Jackson said. "And we'll miss that part of his game."

Artest is averaging 12.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game this season.

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said last week that there was no rivalry between his team and the Cavaliers, but their Christmas Night game has garnered a lot of attention.

Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson said that he'd have to "sit" on the game before he could assess it and Bryant said that the Lakers, who were rolling prior to the game, may have needed it.

"It's a good wake-up call for us," Bryant said.

The Lakers 24-5 after defeating the Kings on Saturday night.

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant strained his elbow in the third quarter of the team's double-overtime victory over the Kings on Saturday night.

Bryant was unable to raise his arm after suffering the injury, but came to life in the second overtime when he drained two three-pointers to lead Los Angeles to a win.

"The moment came for me to step up and I knocked down the shots," he said.

Bryant led the Lakers with 38 points on 16-of-30 shooting, while adding seven rebounds and four assists.

"I had to bring my arm back a lot farther than I usually do, and my arm just went numb," he explained. "I went back to the bench and I literally could not bend my elbow. I came back here (into the locker room) and did a little range-of-motion exercise."

Bryant is also playing with two injured fingers.

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Cavaliers are expected to ask the NBA to review a supposed cheap shot by Kobe Bryant on Maurice Williams.

With Williams leading a run in the third quarter, Bryant came from behind him while the Lakers had the ball and slammed him to the ground. Williams went down hard, injuring his lower back, and the Cavaliers had to call timeout to allow him to recover.

"We got under their skin, we were flying around, guys weren't making shots," Williams said. "You always want to see our opponent get frustrated and do something out of character."

Cleveland defeated Los Angeles 102-87 on Christmas night.