76ers' center Samuel Dalembert injured his ankle near the end of the second quarter on Friday night and had to be helped into the locker room.

Philadelphia has labeled it a sprained ankle, but the severity remains to be seen.

If Dalembert is unable to start against New Jersey on Saturday night, Elton Brand will start at center.

"Some '4' [power forward], little bit of '3' [small forward] - real little bit," Brand said of his role. "It doesn't matter. We're players. [This is] the way we play - block shots, rebound and [run]. You don't want to disrupt anything, because you're still finding your way, but the guys are saying, 'If this is your play [that's called], shoot the ball.'"

Allen Iverson has moved up to 16th overall on the all-time scoring list, passing former Sixer great Charles Barkley on Friday night.

According to the Detroit News, Iverson had 10 points in the first half for the Pistons against the Boston Celtics, giving him 23,759 in his career. Patrick Ewing is next on the list with about 1,000 more points.

TNT featured a double-header of quality NBA action on Thursday night, with the Magic and Spurs winning marquee games.

- Orlando 99, Cleveland 88

Team FIC Differential: Magic +13.7, Cavaliers -13.7

The Magic (35-10) opened up the game with a strong third quarter to defeat the Cavaliers (35-9) at Amway Arena on Thursday night. Dwight Howard starred 22 points and 18 rebounds, Hedo Turkoglu posted 19 points and 13 boards, and Rashard Lewis scored 19 points in the win. Orlando outrebounded Cleveland by nine and limited the Cavaliers to 41% shooting. LeBron James had 23 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists, J.J. Hickson tallied 13 points and 7 boards, and Wally Szczerbiak added 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting in just nineteen minutes of action.

Game FIC Scores

Dwight Howard, Orlando ? 22.5

LeBron James, Cleveland ? 14.2

J.J. Hickson, Cleveland ? 12.5

Rashard Lewis, Orlando ? 12.2

- San Antonio 114, Phoenix 104

Team FIC Differential: Spurs +10.2, Suns -10.2

Deadlocked a halftime, the Spurs (31-14) used a good second half to record a win over the Suns (25-19) at US Airways Center. Tony Parker led with 26 points, Tim Duncan tallied 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Manu Ginobili contributed 30 points and 9 boards off the bench. San Antonio outrebounded Phoenix by eight, and the team combined to turn the ball over just fourteen times. Amare Stoudemire had 28 points and 10 rebounds, Grant Hall posted 20 points and 10 boards, and Steve Nash added 16 points and 18 assists in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Manu Ginobili, San Antonio ? 23.8

Steve Nash, Phoenix ? 20.6

Tim Duncan, San Antonio ? 18.3

Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix ? 17.8

? 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

ESPN's Chad Ford claims during one of his chat sessions that Sixer Elton Brand is available via trade despite just coming to Philadelphia in the offseason, but according to the Philadelphia Daily News, Sixer GM Ed Stefanski has had no discussions involving the former All-Star.

Even though so far things have not panned out for either Brand or the Sixers, Brand did admit that Stefanski has spoken to him.

"Anytime there's speculation, and as you get close to the [deadline], that's when you know it's a business," Brand said. "I'm just here to win, to play my heart out. I haven't been in a lot of [rumors], and I know that if we were 30-10, this wouldn't be the case. I understand where it would come from, even if it's from a fan, a chat session, e-mail."

Brand knows the Sixers signed him to be a difference-maker.

"It's a little frustrating because that's what I was brought here for, and it hasn't come to fruition yet," he said. "But we're playing pretty well, and I want to continue that, whatever it takes. There's no doubt in my mind that I can get back to that level, to be a difference-maker. We know the way they played last year. We already know they can get to the first round [of the playoffs]. We're trying to get further and, hopefully, we can do that."

If the 76ers don't think they can re-sign point guard Andre Miller this summer, they might look to deal him prior to the trade deadline.

Doing so would prevent Philadelphia from losing Miller without getting anything in return. General manager Ed Stefanski has been in contact with agent Andy Miller about the situation.

"I don't think we stand anywhere other than right on the fence," Andy Miller said. "We've had exploratory conversations about a possible extension. We've had conversations with [the Sixers] about what his trade value will be and we've had conversations with them about what would transpire this summer ? what their interests would be, what our interests would be.

"We've kind of run the gamut in terms of covering every possible scenario, but no scenario seems to be forging forward with any great urgency right now over the other ones."

Philadelphia is 21-22, and currently sits in seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

Ousted Sixers' coach Mo Cheeks has reportedly turned down an assistant coaching role with the Memphis Grizzlies, Phil Jasner of the Philadelphia Daily News is reporting.

"But, he decided he wanted a little more time to himself," new coach Lionel Hollins said. "I certainly understand that. He'll have opportunities later."

For precautionary reasons, the Knicks' medical staff will not permit Danilo Gallinari to play the second game of a back-to-back set.

The Knicks beat the Grizzlies on Friday and head to Philadelphia for a game Saturday.  Gallinari will not be available.

Elton Brand is expected to return for the 76ers this weekend, and the team is hoping to continue running as they have while the forward has been out with a separated shoulder.

"We really need to get up and down more in practice probably, but it looks like [Brand] is ready to go," point guard Andre Miller said. "It's big for this team, [but] we still want to continue what we've been doing. I think he's had an opportunity to sit on the side and watch. He's prepared himself for that.

"It's pretty mental now," Miller said. "We don't want to look at him coming back being a distraction on the chemistry and all that type of stuff. He's a player that can adjust to a certain situation, and I think he'll do that."

Elton Brand will not return to the lineup for the 76ers until at least Saturday as he continues to recover from a dislocated right shoulder.

Brand suffered the injury on Dec. 17, and was considered a game-time decision for Philadelphia's game against Dallas on Monday.

Coach Tony DiLeo said Brand most likely will play Saturday against the Knicks.

Sixers coach Tony DiLeo has revealed that Elton Brand is an outside chance to play tonight against the San Antonio Spurs the Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting.

Brand has been out since suffering a dislocated shoulder in a Dec. 17 game against the Milwaukee Bucks. He returned to practice on Monday.

"He'll be a game-time decision," DiLeo said.

"There are still other factors, but I'm definitely optimistic," said Brand, who has taken some hits in practice the last few days. "In the thick of the season, there are no true practice dates, so it's kind of hard to gauge game-like situations. But it's encouraging to know [the shoulder] is not popping out again."