The NBA?s two best records both added a defeat to the win/loss column last night.  

Behind Allen Iverson?s 34 points (13 in the fourth quarter), the Sixers squeaked past the Seattle Supersonics 114-107 in the Key Arena.  With the loss, the division leading Sonics fell to 20-6 on the season.

Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs ended the Phoenix Suns? 11-game winning streak with an impressive 115-94 victory putting the Suns at 24-4 on the season.

"They're a championship-caliber team," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said of the Spurs, "and we're climbing up the ladder. We know that. We're not disheartened by being 24-4 and coming back and understanding what we need to do."

Karl Malone is still weighing his options whilst vacationing with his family in Louisiana.  With the Spurs as the frontrunners, coach Gregg Popovich has reportedly told Malone that they would be patient and work off of his timetable.

"Karl would fit in everywhere," said Boston Celtics guard Gary Payton, who played with Malone last season in Los Angeles. "He's a great person. If he came here, it would just be a plus for them.

"It would be great for a great man to get in here, and he can still play. It would definitely increase their chances of winning a championship."

Tim Duncan remained undefeated against the Boston Celtics, as the Spurs were victorious by a final score of 107-90.

Duncan scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Rick Pitino's first season coincided with Duncan's and Pitino actually asked if he could postpone his decision until after the draft lottery of that year, but Paul Gaston essentially said, "Take my millions now or not at all."

Asked the reason behind the shortfall in effort, Rivers said, "If I could figure that out I could probably split an atom. I don't know. It could be a lot of reasons. It could be the three days (the Celtics had) off. Who knows why?"

Greg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs are looking to Rasho Nesterovic for more of a contribution than he has provided so far this season.

"We want him to look for his offense," Popovich said. "Sometimes he defers to everybody else on the court, but we love when he does what he did (Thursday).

"He's got a real ability offensively, but not if he's not demonstrative. It's not just going to happen."

The Spurs signed Nesterovic to a six-year $42 million contract in 2003.

The Sonics (18-4) and Suns (19-3), two teams on a fast break toward the future, play tonight at Key Arena with the winner walking away with the league's best record.  It the most anticipated game of the season thus far.

"The common denominator is that both teams have a lot of firepower," Suns president and general manager Bryan Colangelo said. "And both have coaches that are allowing that firepower to be utilized."

ESPN will be there to televise it nationally, as will analyst Tom Tolbert.

"It's going to be a game of spurts," Tolbert said. "It wouldn't surprise me at some point to see both teams have a 10-point lead."

The San Antonio Spurs have announced that they will retire Sean Elliott?s number. His No. 32 will be retired on March 6 when the Spurs host the Utah Jazz at the SBC Center.

?This is a humbling day,? said Elliott, who was a member of the Spurs 1999 Championship team. ?When I came to San Antonio 15 years ago I never would have dreamt that some day my number would be hanging up there with players like George Gervin and David Robinson. I?m honored and excited. But most of all I want to thank my family, all of my former teammates and coaches and, of course, all of the great fans for so many wonderful memories.?

Tim Duncan overtook his fellow Texan, Dirk Nowitzki for the number two position on RealGM's Player Rankings.  He is now averaging 23.8 points, 12.6 rebounds and a stellar 3.3 blocks per game.

Once again Kevin Garnett is ranked number 1, with a commanding lead.

Nowitzki dropped one position to number 3, despite leading the league in scoring, with a 27.4 points per game average.

Second-year players Lebron James and Dwayne Wade round out the top 5.

The NY Times is reporting that Knicks' officials have stated: they expect Free Agent Forward Karl Malone to sign with the San Antonio Spurs. Malone coming off of knee surgery ruled out a return to the Lakers (ironically the team he choose over the Spurs 2 summers ago), after comments by Kobe Bryant have escalated into a verbal-media showdown.

Thomas recently called Malone to inquire about his available services, but was turned down, as Malone intends to sign with a contender, and the Spurs appear to be closing in on winning that race, which also includes the Heat (where he could reunite with former teammate Shaq), and the Timberwolves. (Registration Required)

According to Sportsline.com staff writers, if Karl Malone decides to come out of retirement and play this season, expect the Miami Heat to give him a call.

Shaquille O?Neal has said he will use his ?powers of persuasion? to lure Malone to Miami. Dwight Manley, Karl?s agent, has already had a discussion with the Heat.

Though the Heat are not the only suitors for the Malone?s services. A number of teams would love to add the Mailman to their roster for a playoff push. Those teams include the Minnesota T-Wolves, New York Knicks, and San Antonio Spurs.

It seems like Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is at the end of his rope when it comes to center Rasho Nesterovic, making no excuses when questioned about his decision to bench the team's starting center for the entire second half against Seattle last week.

"I thought he was awful," Popovich said. "I just tell the truth. I can't start giving bull, because you forget what bull you gave last week, so I just tell the truth, and if somebody doesn't like it, tough."

Added Popovich before Thursday's game: "I think he's been awful for a couple of weeks. I'm very disappointed in his play. I don't think he's competed well. I think he's played without confidence. He's taken a back door offensively.

"All of a sudden it's like he hit this wall and decided he's going to be a different player than he was last year or even the first part of this season, and I'm not sure why. But if he wants to play he's going to have to compete and I don't think he's done that for a while."