Magic point guard Jameer Nelson has struggled in the four games since his return from arthroscopic surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee.

He's just 10-for-35 from the field.

"We're going to have to go back and evaluate where we are with Jameer," coach Stan Van Gundy said. "There's medical concerns and people don't want him to get reinjured."

Van Gundy added that Nelson has participated in just 30 minutes of "live action" practice in the last two days.

"I understand that we're trying to protect him," the coach said. "We've got to somehow find a balance. If he's not going to practice and we're going to use games like practice, I don't know how valuable that's going to be. Four days off and they don't want him doing anything in practice, that makes it very, very hard."

"They don't want me to practice everyday or practice as much. I want to, I ask to, but I just have to listen and do the things they tell me to do," Nelson said

Vince Carter took a shoulder to the head during Orlando's 117-92 win over Milwaukee on Wednesday night.

Carter took the hit from Ersan Ilyasova. He hit the floor hard and rolled around on the floor as he winced in pain.

About three minutes after taking the hit, Carter got up.

"I felt real dizzy, so I wanted to just lay there for a second and let everything get back together," Carter said. "Next thing you know, everything was lined up correctly."

Carter never exited the game and ended up scoring 25 points at Amway Arena.

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy wants to see the NBA do away with games on Christmas.

"I actually feel sorry for people who have nothing to do on Christmas Day other than watch an NBA game," Van Gundy said.

Van Gundy's Magic are set to face off against the Celtics on Friday night.

Orlando's coach understands that television contracts generate money for the league and it would be difficult to stop such games.

"I think we get a little carried away with ourselves with sports thinking we're more important than everything else," Van Gundy said. "But that's the way it is. There's nothing more important than the NBA on Christmas Day."

Tyreke Evans forced overtime against the Cavaliers on Wednesday night, but the Kings went scoreless in the extra period at Arco Arena.

- Orlando 102, Houston 87

Team FIC Differential: Magic +33, Rockets -33

The Orlando Magic (22-7) dominated the first and third quarters against the Houston Rockets (17-12) on Wednesday night. Dwight Howard led with 13 points and 20 rebounds, Vince Carter posted 18 points and five boards and Ryan Anderson added 14 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Orlando outrebounded Houston by 12 and held the road team to 39% shooting. Carl Landry scored a game-high 20 points, Luis Scola tallied 14 points and five rebounds and Aaron Brooks contributed 17 points and four assists.

Game FIC Scores

Dwight Howard, Orlando ? 26.3

Ryan Anderson, Orlando ? 12.0

Carl Landry, Houston ? 11.8

Aaron Brooks, Houston ? 9.1

- Toronto 94, Detroit 64

Team FIC Differential: Raptors +56.3, Pistons -56.3

The Toronto Raptors (14-17) thumped the short-handed Detroit Pistons (11-18) at the Palace of Auburn Hills thanks to a balanced effort. Andrea Bargnani had 21 points and four rebounds, Chris Bosh tallied 12 points and nine boards and Jarrett Jack put up 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Toronto shot 53% and held Detroit to just 27% shooting. Jonas Jerebko led with 10 points and nine rebounds, Jason Maxiell posted 10 points and nine boards of his own and Will Bynum scored 12 points on 6-for-14 shooting off the bench.

Game FIC Scores

Jarrett Jack, Toronto ? 17.3

Andrea Bargnani, Toronto ? 14.3

Hedo Turkoglu, Toronto ? 14.0

Jonas Jerebko, Detroit ? 8.5

- Miami 80, Utah 70

Team FIC Differential: Heat +8.7, Jazz -8.7

The Miami Heat (14-12) used a 31-19 edge in the third quarter to knock off the Utah Jazz (16-13). Dwyane Wade starred with 29 points, seven rebounds and five assists, Quentin Richardson posted 11 points and seven boards and Udonis Haslem chipped in 12 points and 11 rebounds. Miami hit just 36% of their shots, but Utah turned the ball over 21 times. Deron Williams had 18 points and six assists, Carlos Boozer tallied 14 points and eight rebounds and Wesley Matthews totaled four points and seven boards in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Dwyane Wade, Miami ? 16.5

Andrei Kirilenko, Utah ? 10.8

Joel Anthony, Miami ? 10.6

Carlos Boozer, Utah ? 8.9

- Minnesota 103, New Jersey 99

Team FIC Differential: Timberwolves +6.9, Nets -6.9

The Minnesota Timberwolves (6-24) defeated the New Jersey Nets (2-27) in a matchup of the NBA?s two worst teams on Wednesday night. Al Jefferson led with 27 points and seven rebounds, Kevin Love tallied 13 points and 16 boards and rookie Jonny Flynn added 22 points and five assists. Minnesota outrebounded New Jersey by nine and went 13-for-16 from the foul line. Devin Harris had 23 points and eight assists, Yi Jianlian posted 22 points and eight rebounds in his return from injury and Brook Lopez stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, 10 boards and seven dimes.

Game FIC Scores

Al Jefferson, Minnesota ? 18.3

Kevin Love, Minnesota ? 16.4

Yi Jianlian, New Jersey ? 14.3

Courtney Lee, New Jersey ? 12.9

- New Orleans 108, Golden State 102

Team FIC Differential: Hornets -1.5, Warriors +1.5

The New Orleans Hornets (13-14) outlasted the Golden State Warriors (7-21) at New Orleans Arena. Chris Paul had 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds, Emeka Okafor posted 10 points and 14 boards and David West contributed 14 points and eight rebounds. Golden State shot 47% from the field, but New Orleans won the rebounding battle by fourteen. Monta Ellis starred with 35 points and five assists, Corey Maggette tallied 22 points and 10 rebounds and Stephen Curry put up 17 points, 10 boards and seven dimes for the Warriors.

Game FIC Scores

Stephen Curry, Golden State ? 18.5

Corey Maggette, Golden State ? 17.5

Chris Paul, New Orleans ? 15.2

Julian Wright, New Orleans ? 11.5

- Washington 109, Milwaukee 97

Team FIC Differential: Wizards +21.3, Bucks -21.3

Earl Boykins lifted the Washington Wizards (10-17) to victory over the Milwaukee Bucks (12-15) on Wednesday night. Antawn Jamison had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Caron Butler tallied 23 points and 10 boards and Boykins scored 12 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter as Gilbert Arenas left with a thigh injury. Washington drilled 52% of their shots, which allowed them to overcome 19 turnovers. Michael Redd starred with 32 points and six rebounds, Andrew Bogut posted 12 points and nine boards and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute totaled 11 points and five rebounds off the bench.

Game FIC Scores

Michael Redd, Milwaukee ? 18.1

Antawn Jamison, Washington ? 17.4

Caron Butler, Washington ? 14.6

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Milwaukee ? 11.0

- Portland 98, San Antonio 94

Team FIC Differential: Trail Blazers +0.4, Spurs -0.4

The short-handed Portland Trail Blazers (19-12) scratched out a win against the San Antonio Spurs (15-11) at the AT&T Center. Jerryd Bayless had 31 points and seven rebounds, LaMarcus Aldridge posted 22 points and eight rebounds and Juwan Howard chipped in 12 points and 12 boards. San Antonio shot 51%, but Portland took nine more free throws. Tim Duncan led with 24 points and 11 rebounds, Richard Jefferson scored 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting and Roger Mason helped with 16 points, five boards and five assists.

Game FIC Scores

Jerryd Bayless, Portland ? 19.3

Tim Duncan, San Antonio ? 18.4

LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland ? 17.5

Roger Mason, San Antonio ? 15.0

- Denver 124, Atlanta 104

Team FIC Differential:

The Denver Nuggets (20-9) separated themselves from the Atlanta Hawks (20-8) in the fourth quarter on Wednesday night. Carmelo Anthony had 24 points, seven assists and six rebounds, J.R. Smith exploded for 41 points off the bench and Ty Lawson totaled 16 points, six boards and five dimes. Denver shot 54% and turned the ball over just eight times. Al Horford had 18 points and 11 rebounds, Josh Smith posted 17 points and nine boards and Jamal Crawford netted 24 points on 9-for-15 shooting in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

- Oklahoma City 117, Phoenix 113

Team FIC Differential: Thunder +0.5, Suns -0.5

The Oklahoma City Thunder (14-14) prevailed against the Phoenix Suns (18-11) in a game that was tied after three quarters. Kevin Durant starred with 38 points and six rebounds, Jeff Green posted 17 points and nine boards and Russell Westbrook stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Phoenix hit 50% of their shots, but Oklahoma City won the rebounding battle by ten. Amare Stoudemire dominated with 35 points and 14 rebounds, Steve Nash tallied 24 points and 12 assists and Channing Frye added 24 points and six boards.

Game FIC Scores

Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix ? 25.8

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City ? 22.8

Steve Nash, Phoenix ? 19.4

Channing Frye, Phoenix ? 18.1

- Cleveland 117, Sacramento 104 (OT)

Team FIC Differential: Cavaliers +18.9, Kings -18.9

The Sacramento Kings (13-15) forced overtime against the Cleveland Cavaliers (22-8) but failed to score a single point in the extra period. LeBron James excelled with 34 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists, Zydrunas Ilgauskas tallied 25 points and eight boards and Maurice Williams scored 27 points on 10-for-19 shooting. Cleveland shot 51% and outrebounded Sacramento by thirteen. Tyreke Evans had 28 points and five assists, Spencer Hawes posted 17 points and 12 rebounds and Jason Thompson recorded 18 points and nine boards in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

LeBron James, Cleveland ? 29.4

Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland ? 20.0

Spencer Hawes, Sacramento ? 20.0

Tyreke Evans, Sacramento ? 17.5

? 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

The Magic are happy that coach Stan Van Gundy has become more positive in recent weeks.

"He's most definitely changed," forward Rashard Lewis said. "He's still the old Stan a little bit. He still kind of screams and yells when he doesn't need to, but you can tell he's been working on it. You can tell he's changing."

During a private conversation with Van Gundy in mid-November center Dwight Howard asked the volatile coach to reduce his negativity.

"It has," Howard said when asked if Van Gundy's turnaround has helped the team. "Early in the season, we'd miss shots or something and you'd look over at Stan and see him kicking water bottles and punching stuff. Now he's fine with it. He understands that nobody's perfect.

"He's been doing a good job at it. Me and Stan talk a lot, text a lot, whatever. One thing we just asked him is that, 'Coach, when you have a positive energy about yourself, it makes our team better.' We flow better. We play better."

On an off day Sunday, Carlos Boozer spent a good portion of it visiting Dwight Howard.

"Who wouldn't want to play with Superman?'' Boozer asked FanHouse after Utah's Monday morning workout at Amway Arena. "It would be great. We're like brothers. On top of his competitiveness, and his dominance on the court, he's so much fun to be around. Yes, the two of us could work well together, two dominant inside players. But we'll just have to see what happens.''

The Magic are over the salary cap, so a sign-and-trade would likely be required to happen in order to facilitate a trade.

"We talked about it (becoming teammates)," Howard recalled Monday after the Magic practice. "But aaaah ... we'll let that happen down the road."

The Kings recorded the biggest fourth-quarter comeback the NBA has seen this decade in their win over the Bulls on Monday night.

- Milwaukee 84, Indiana 81

Team FIC Differential: Bucks -1.3, Pacers +1.3

The Milwaukee Bucks (12-14) used a strong third quarter to defeat the Indiana Pacers (9-17) on Monday night. Andrew Bogut led with 31 points and 18 rebounds, Michael Redd posted 14 points and Brandon Jennings added 16 points and six assist. Indiana outrebounded Milwaukee by 12, but shot just 35% from the field. Roy Hibbert led with 16 points and seven rebounds, Troy Murphy tallied 14 points and 12 boards and Tyler Hansbrough contributed 11 points and five rebounds in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Andrew Bogut, Milwaukee ? 30.4

Troy Murphy, Indiana ? 10.6

Roy Hibbert, Indiana ? 10.5

Brandon Jennings, Milwaukee ? 10.0

- Orlando 104, Utah 99

Team FIC Differential: Magic +13, Jazz -13

The Orlando Magic (21-7) beat the Utah Jazz (16-12) in a very close game the Amway Arena in Florida. Dwight Howard had 21 points and nine rebounds, Vince Carter tallied 18 points and nine boards and J.J. Redick scored 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Orlando hit 48% of their shots and attempted 14 more foul shots than Utah. Deron Williams led with 18 points and 12 assists, Carlos Boozer posted 17 points and nine rebounds and Paul Millsap put up 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting in 26 minutes.

Game FIC Scores

Dwight Howard, Orlando ? 19.4

Paul Millsap, Utah ? 14.5

J.J. Redick, Orlando ? 12.0

Deron Williams, Utah ? 11.6

- Sacramento 102, Chicago 98

Team FIC Differential: Kings +2.5, Bulls -2.5

The Sacramento Kings (13-14) outscored the Chicago Bulls (10-16) by 23 points in the fourth quarter to record a huge comeback win on the road. Tyreke Evans starred with 23 points and eight rebounds, Jason Thompson posted 14 points and seven boards and Sergio Rodriguez chipped in 10 points and seven assists. Chicago shot 48%, but turned the ball over 18 times. Luol Deng had 26 points and five rebounds, Kirk Hinrich tallied 14 points and eight boards and Derrick Rose totaled 24 points and seven rebounds for the Bulls.

Game FIC Scores

Luol Deng, Chicago ? 17.0

Derrick Rose, Chicago ? 14.6

Beno Udrih, Sacramento ? 13.4

Ime Udoka, Sacramento ? 13.0

- San Antonio 103, L.A. Clippers 87

Team FIC Differential: Spurs +24.1, Clippers -24.1

The San Antonio Spurs (15-10) used strong efforts in the first and third quarters to record a win against the Los Angeles Clippers (12-15). Tony Parker scored a team-high 19 points, Theo Ratliff tallied 10 points and seven rebounds and Tin Duncan had 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting. San Antonio shot 50% and had seven players score in double figures. Chris Kaman had 23 points and 15 rebounds, Baron Davis posted 11 points and six assists and Rasual Butler scored 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting at the AT&T Center.

Game FIC Scores

Chris Kaman, Los Angeles ? 19.0

Roger Mason, San Antonio ? 14.5

Tim Duncan, San Antonio ? 13.8

Rasual Butler, Los Angeles ? 11.0

- Cleveland 109, Phoenix 91

Team FIC Differential: Cavaliers +35, Suns -35

The Cleveland Cavaliers (21-8) outscored the Phoenix Suns (18-10) by 11 points in the fourth quarter to pull away at the US Airways Center. LeBron James had 29 points and six rebounds, J.J Hickson posted 10 points and six boards and Maurice Williams added 24 points, six rebounds and five assists. Cleveland shot 52% from the field and forced 19 turnovers. Steve Nash led with 18 points and 10 assists, Amare Stoudemire tallied 14 points and 12 rebounds and Jared Dudley scored 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting off the bench.

Game FIC Scores

Maurice Williams, Cleveland ? 22.4

LeBron James, Cleveland ? 17.3

Steve Nash, Phoenix ? 15.0

Delonte West, Cleveland ? 14.4

? 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

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy praised the defensive skills of center Dwight Howard on Monday.

He's coached excellent interior defenders like P.J. Brown and Alonzo Mourning, but Van Gundy says that Howard is in a world of his own.

"He's a better pick-and-roll defender, probably, than Alonzo was and a better shot-blocker than P.J. was," the coach said. "There's just not much he can't do defensively. I think as a big guy he's as good as anybody I've been around."

Howard, the NBA's reigning Defensive Player of the Year, has 23 blocks in Orlando's last five games.

Magic point guard Jameer Nelson is hoping to return from arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee on Monday night.

Nelson told NBA.com that he's watching his weight in an effort to protect his left knee.

"My weight is actually a little lower than I'm used to. I've actually been watching what I've been eating," Nelson said.

"I actually had two salads yesterday and that's really not me. The last time that I weighed in I was 199 and I used to play at 205."

The Orlando Magic?s Dwight Howard was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, Dec. 14, through Sunday, Dec. 20.

It marks the second time this season and the ninth time in his career that Howard has earned the league's top weekly honor.