Shaquille O'Neal could be on the verge of returning.  The big man could be back in the Miami Heat lineup as early as Sunday.  

O'Neal has been out more than five weeks because of a badly sprained right ankle.  He missed his 18th straight game on Friday night when the Heat hosted the Denver Nuggets.

"We moved pretty good through the walkthrough. We went pretty hard," Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said. "And he moved through it pretty well. ... It was encouraging."

O'Neal suffered the injury on November 3.