The Nuggets are expected to sign guard Jason Hart next week, according to a league source.

Hart was waived by the Clippers on Friday.

Denver coach George Karl has said that he wants another point guard as insurance for the season's stretch run.

The Lakers are 12-1 since losing Andrew Bynum to a knee injury, and Nuggets coach George Karl believes we should entertain the idea that they are better without the center.

"Don't you have to make the statement that maybe they're better without Bynum?" Karl asked reporters on Thursday.

"Why do we always say Bynum? How many games has he played for this team? I like Bynum. I think he's a great player. But sometimes you can have too much talent out there and it can kind of be confusing."

Nuggets center Nene could return to the court against the Lakers on Friday night after missing the team's last two games with a bruised right knee.

"I'd say the pendulum has swung to I think there's a chance he'll play tomorrow," coach George Karl said. "I'm not going to bet on that, but he enjoyed his body today. It seemed like he had a positive feel for what he did."

Nene did some running on Thursday. The team's trainer claims that he is "much improved," and that the center will be evaluated prior to Friday night's contest.

After losing Mikki Moore to the Celtics, the Nuggets are hoping that the Thunder buy out veteran forward Joe Smith before Sunday.

Smith might be bought out before Sunday in order to be eligible for the postseason.

Agent Mark Bartelstein says that he has talked with the Nuggets about Scot Pollard and Aaron Williams, two free-agent big men.

Nuggets center/forward Nene left the team's loss to the Bucks on Sunday night with less than a minute left after suffering a bruised knee.

The injury occurred during a collision with Milwaukee's Richard Jefferson in the paint.

"It doesn't look like anything structural, but it's hard to evaluate when it's so sore," Nuggets athletic trainer Jim Gillen said.

Denver is expected to thoroughly evaluate the knee on Monday.

"It hurts . . . a lot. It happened so fast. But he bumped me good. I can't straighten my leg. It's going to hurt, but it's nothing crazy, no big thing. I'll put ice on it and we'll see," Nene said.

Kenyon Martin and Carmelo Anthony might not face the Bucks on Sunday afternoon, the final game of Denver's lengthy road trip.

Anthony said Saturday that he's a game-time decision because of a bruised left knee, while Martin is questionable with a bad back.

"The more I did, the more I ran and jumped, it tightened up on me," Martin said of Friday's game at Chicago, which he left before halftime.

"You can't really tell how I am unless I'm going out there running," Anthony said.

The Denver Nuggets are reportedly shopping their first round pick they received from Charlotte last June for to the Pacers' Jeff Foster, the Knicks' David Lee or the Bulls' Joakim Noah, Ian Thomsen from Sports Illustrated is reporting.

So far there have been no takers.

The Nuggets and Bobcats are interested in center Jeff Foster, but the Pacers have reportedly turned down offers.

Foster, a career Pacer, signed a two-year extension before the season.

Indiana isn't interested in trading rookie Brandon Rush either.

Trade talk stole the show in the NBA on Wednesday night, but there were a number of good games among the eleven played.

- Denver 101, Philadelphia 89

Team FIC Differential: Nuggets +9.9, 76ers -9.9

The Nuggets (37-17) erased a ten-point halftime deficit with a dominant second half against the 76ers (27-26) on Wednesday night. Carmelo Anthony starred with 26 points and 14 rebounds, Chauncey Billups tallied 22 points and 5 assists, and Nene chipped in 17 points and 7 boards. Denver held Philadelphia to 33%, which allowed them to overcome nineteen turnovers. Andre Miller had 17 points and 7 rebounds, Samuel Dalembert posted 12 points and 10 boards, and Thaddeus Young turned in 12 points and 5 rebounds for the 76ers.

Game FIC Scores

Carmelo Anthony, Denver ? 15.9

Samuel Dalembert, Philadelphia ? 14.3

Nene, Denver ? 13.4

Andre Miller, Philadelphia ? 13.4

- Cleveland 93, Toronto 76

Team FIC Differential: Cavaliers +35.5, Raptors -35.5

The Cavaliers (41-11) outscored the Raptors (21-35) by fourteen points over the second and third quarters en route to a win at the Air Canada Centre. LeBron James had 20 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists, Zydrunas Ilgauskas tallied 22 points and 6 boards, and Anderson Varejao contributed 5 points and 14 rebounds in the win. Cleveland hit 58% of their shots, while holding Toronto to just 37% on the night. Shawn Marion led with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in his Toronto debut, Joey Graham posted 15 points and 4 boards, and Anthony Parker added 9 points and 7 rebounds in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

LeBron James, Cleveland ? 19.0

Shawn Marion, Toronto ? 15.8

Anderson Varejao, Cleveland ? 15.0

Roko Ukic, Toronto ? 5.8

- Charlotte 103, Indiana 94

Team FIC Differential: Bobcats +28.3, Pacers -28.3

The Bobcats (22-32) used a seven-point edge in the third quarter to defeat the Pacers (22-34) at Time Warner Cable Arena on Wednesday night. Gerald Wallace starred with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, Emeka Okafor posted 12 points and 12 boards, and Raymond Felton chipped in 16 points and 3 dimes. Charlotte attempted ten more foul shots than Indiana, and turned the ball over just eight times. Troy Murphy led with 18 points and 16 rebounds, Jarrett Jack tallied 18 points, 8 boards and 5 assists, and Danny Granger scored 10 points in ten minutes of action before leaving with a sprained right foot.

Game FIC Scores

Gerald Wallace, Charlotte ? 21.1

Troy Murphy, Indiana ? 17.8

Jarrett Jack, Indiana ? 16.3

Emeka Okafor, Charlotte ? 15.8

- Minnesota 111, Miami 104

Team FIC Differential: Timberwolves +18.1, Heat -18.1

The Timberwolves (18-35) used a 36-24 run in the third quarter to defeat the Heat (28-25) in South Beach. Sebastian Telfair excelled with 30 points and 8 assists, Ryan Gomes posted 20 points and 7 rebounds, and Kevin Love added 16 points and 9 boards in the win. Minnesota hit 54% of their shots and outrebounded Miami by twenty-five. Dwyane Wade led with 37 points and 12 assists, Udonis Haslem tallied 17 points and 6 rebounds, and Jermaine O?Neal scored 13 points in 27 minutes in his Miami debut.

Game FIC Scores

Dwyane Wade, Miami ? 34.1

Sebastian Telfair, Minnesota ? 18.0

Ryan Gomes, Minnesota ? 15.0

Udonis Haslem, Miami ? 10.8

- New Orleans 117, Orlando 85

Team FIC Differential: Hornets +56.0, Magic -56.0

The Hornets (32-20) thoroughly dominated the Magic (39-14) over forty-eight minutes on Wednesday night. Chris Paul starred with 36 points, 10 assists and 6 rebounds, Rasual Butler tallied 15 points and 8 boards, and David West added 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting. New Orleans shot 58%, while limiting Orlando to just 37% from the floor. Dwight Howard had 12 points and 8 rebounds, Rashard Lewis posted 17 points and 8 assists, and J.J. Redick netted 14 points off the bench.

Game FIC Scores

Chris Paul, New Orleans ? 33.5

Rashard Lewis, Orlando ? 13.9

Rasual Butler, New Orleans ? 12.0

Dwight Howard, Orlando ? 8.4

- Chicago 113, Milwaukee 104

Team FIC Differential: Bulls +13.5, Bucks -13.5

Perhaps invigorated by news of a substantial trade, the Bulls (24-30) came back and topped the Bucks (27-30) at the Bradley Center. Luol Deng had 21 points and 8 rebounds, Derrick Rose posted 18 points and 9 assists, and Kirk Hinrich scored 31 points on 8-for-14 shooting off the bench. Chicago forced twenty-one turnovers, and held Milwaukee to 39% shooting. Richard Jefferson starred with 32 points and 6 rebounds, Charlie Villanueva tallied 17 points and 12 boards, and Charlie Bell contributed 10 points in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Kirk Hinrich, Chicago ? 17.5

Richard Jefferson, Milwaukee ? 17.2

Derrick Rose, Chicago ? 15.2

Charlie Villanueva, Milwaukee ? 11.6

- Dallas 113, New Jersey 98

Team FIC Differential: Mavericks +34.4, Nets -34.4

The Mavericks (32-21) outgunned the Nets (24-31) by a score of 40-15 in the third quarter of Wednesday night?s game at American Airlines Arena. Jason Kidd had 23 points and 10 assists, Josh Howard tallied 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Dirk Nowitzki chipped in 23 points and 9 boards. Dallas shot 55% from the field, including 10-for-14 from three-point land. Devin Harris had 18 points and 7 assists against his former team, Brook Lopez posted 16 points and 7 rebounds, and Jarvis Hayes scored 15 points on 7-for-7 shooting for the Nets.

Game FIC Scores

Jason Kidd, Dallas ? 24.5

Josh Howard, Dallas ? 19.5

Keyon Dooling, New Jersey ? 12.1

Brook Lopez, New Jersey ? 11.5

- Blazers 94, Grizzles 90

Team FIC Differential: Blazers +15.3, Grizzles -15.3

The Blazers (33-20) won a surprisingly close game over the Grizzles (15-39) at the Rose Garden. LaMarcus Aldridge had 15 points and 6 rebounds, Brandon Roy posted 24 points and 9 boards, and Joel Przybilla chipped in 6 points and 15 rebounds. Portland shot 46%, but were outrebounded by three. Rudy Gay led with 20 points and 5 rebounds, Marc Gasol tallied 9 points and 10 boards, and O.J. Mayo scored 19 points on 8-for-19 shooting in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Brandon Roy, Portland ? 20.1

Mike Conley, Memphis ? 15.5

Joel Przybilla, Portland ? 14.0

Rudy Gay, Memphis ? 11.2

- Atlanta 105, Sacramento 100

Team FIC Differential: Hawks +11.9, Kings -11.9

The Hawks (32-22) used a strong third quarter run to knock off the Kings (11-44) on Wednesday night. Mike Bibby led with 29 points and 5 rebounds, Joe Johnson tallied 20 points and 6 assists, and Al Horford added 18 points and 18 boards in the win. Atlanta attempted eleven more foul shots and outrebounded Sacramento by four. Kevin Martin starred with 32 points and 11 rebounds, Spencer Hawes posted 10 points and 14 boards, and Beno Udrih turned in 18 points and 4 assists for the Kings.

Game FIC Scores

Al Horford, Atlanta ? 27.0

Kevin Martin, Sacramento ? 23.1

Mike Bibby, Atlanta ? 17.9

Beno Udrih, Sacramento ? 12.6

- L.A. Lakers 129, Golden State 121

Team FIC Differential: Lakers +19.5, Warriors -19.5

The Lakers (44-10) outscored the Warriors (19-36) by fourteen points in the second half to record a comeback win at ORACLE Arena. Kobe Bryant had 30 points and 9 assists, Pau Gasol posted 24 points and 13 rebounds, and Lamar Odom added 22 points and 7 boards. Los Angeles outrebounded Golden State by five, and attempted fourteen more foul shots in the victory. Stephen Jackson led with 24 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds, Anthony Randolph tallied 14 points and 12 boards, and Corey Maggette scored 24 points off the bench on 10-for-16 shooting.

Game FIC Scores

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles ? 22.5

Pau Gasol, Los Angeles ? 22.5

Ronny Turiaf, Golden State ? 18.6

Stephen Jackson, Golden State ? 13.5

- Phoenix 142, L.A. Clippers 119

Team FIC Differential: Suns +33.8, Clippers -33.8

Alvin Gentry is undefeated as the head coach of the Suns (30-23) after back-to-back wins over the Clippers (13-42). Amare Stoudemire starred with 42 points and 11 rebounds, Steve Nash tallied 21 points and 12 assists, and Jason Richardson contributed 17 points and 7 boards. Phoenix hit 59% of their shots, while outrebounding Los Angeles by twelve. Al Thornton scored 33 points, Eric Gordon posted 23 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds, and Fred Jones scored 20 points on 6-for-9 shooting off the bench.

Game FIC Scores

Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix ? 30.1

Steve Nash, Phoenix ? 21.3

Fred Jones, Los Angeles ? 17.8

Eric Gordon, Los Angeles ? 17.1

? 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

Nuggets guard J.R. Smith said after his disappointing performance in Saturday night's Dunk Contest that he's done participating in the event.

"I think I'm done with the dunk contest," Smith said after finishing third in the event. "I'm getting too old for the dunk contest. My legs are too old."