Detroit guard Richard Hamilton isn't expected to return on Wednesday night when the team faces off against New Jersey.

Hamilton has already missed two games with a groin injury.

New Orleans' center Tyson Chandler ignores all trade rumors, having learned throughout his career that you can't focus on that kind of attention.

"Honestly, at this point in my career, I don't pay attention to it," Chandler said. "I've only been involved in trade rumors once during my final year in Chicago. Once you start focusing on that stuff, you lose track on what you are trying to do. I don't even read newspapers or watch the sports channels."

Sports Illustrated listed Chandler for the Pistons' Rasheed Wallace as a possible trade.

When Richard Hamilton returns from his groin injury, Pistons' coach Michael Curry could opt to bring either Hamilton or Allen Iverson off the bench.

Detroit has enjoyed two straight stellar defensive efforts with a bigger lineup.

"We looked at our lineup at different times, and we thought about different possible guys coming off the bench, but we hadn't made a decision on that," Curry said Monday night after the team's fourth straight victory. "That's kind of a tough decision."

The Pistons ended the Magic's 7-game win streak with an impressive victory at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Monday night.

- Atlanta 109, Denver 91

Team FIC Differential: Hawks +27.8, Nuggets -27.8

The Hawks (20-10) defeated the Nuggets (20-12) thanks to strong performances from all five of their starters. Joe Johnson had 25 points and 7 assists; Al Horford tallied 16 points and 10 rebounds; and Mike Bibby added 20 points and 9 dimes. Atlanta outrebounded Denver by seventeen and went 12-for-23 from behind the three-point line. Kenyon Martin led with 19 points; Carmelo Anthony posted 16 points and 4 rebounds; and Chauncey Billups contributed 11 points and 5 assists.

Game FIC Scores

Mike Bibby, Atlanta ? 20.6

Joe Johnson, Atlanta ? 17.0

Anthony Carter, Denver ? 12.0

Kenyon Martin, Denver ? 10.0

- Detroit 88, Orlando 82

Team FIC Differential: Pistons +19.3, Magic ? 19.3

After a strong first half the Pistons (18-11) held on and knocked off the Magic (24-7) at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Rodney Stuckey led with 19 points and 5 rebounds; Rasheed Wallace posted 16 points and 6 boards; and Antonio McDyess added 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists off the bench. Detroit outrebounded Orlando by seven and limited them to just 40% shooting. Rashard Lewis led with 23 points and 6 assists; Dwight Howard tallied 18 points and 18 rebounds; and Hedo Turkoglu turned in 14 points, 8 dimes, and 5 boards in defeat.

Game FIC Scores

Dwight Howard, Orlando ? 22.1

Antonio McDyess, Detroit ? 15.0

Rashard Lewis, Orlando ? 15.0

Allen Iverson, Detroit ? 13.5

- Chicago 100, New Jersey 87

Team FIC Differential: Bulls +24.6, Nets -24.6

Derrick Rose led the Bulls (14-17) past the Nets (15-16) on Monday night. Ben Gordon scored 24 points; Larry Hughes tallied 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists off the bench; and Rose had 21 points and 13 dimes. Chicago shot 47%, while limiting New Jersey to just 40% on the night. Vince Carter starred with 31 points; Devin Harris posted 26 points and 5 assists; and rookie Brook Lopez contributed 9 points and 8 rebounds for the Nets.

Game FIC Scores

Derrick Rose, Chicago ? 23.8

Vince Carter, New Jersey ? 16.3

Larry Hughes, Chicago ? 15.5

Devin Harris, New Jersey ? 11.3

- Minnesota 108, Memphis 98 (OT)

Team FIC Differential: Timberwolves +6, Grizzlies -6

The Timberwolves (6-24) dominated in overtime to notch a win over the Grizzlies (10-21) at Target Center. Al Jefferson starred with 38 points and 16 rebounds; Kevin Love tallied 17 points and 7 boards; and Randy Foye added 15 points and 5 assists. Minnesota shot 49% and outrebounded Memphis by six. O.J. Mayo scored 23 points; Kyle Lowry posted 14 points and 12 assists; and Hakim Warrick turned in 12 points and 8 boards in defeat.

Game FIC Scores

Al Jefferson, Minnesota ? 25.4

Kyle Lowry, Memphis ? 18.0

Randy Foye, Minnesota ? 15.4

Marc Gasol, Memphis ? 12.0

- Phoenix 110, Oklahoma City 102

Team FIC Differential: Suns +11.9, Thunder ? 11.9

The game was close, but the Suns (17-12) did just enough to defeat the Thunder (3-29) on Monday night at Ford Center. Shaquille O?Neal starred with 28 points and 12 rebounds; Jason Richardson scored 20 points; and Matt Barnes had 19 points and 6 boards off the bench. Both teams shot over 50% from the field, but Phoenix narrowly won the rebounding and turnover battles. Russell Westbrook led with 31 points and 5 assists; Jeff Green posted 22 points and 11 rebounds; and Kevin Durant added 18 points and 8 boards for the Thunder. Back spasms limited Steve Nash to just 9 minutes.

Game FIC Scores

Shaquille O?Neal, Phoenix ? 24.3

Jeff Green, Oklahoma City ? 21.3

Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City ? 16.6

Matt Barnes, Phoenix ? 12.4

- Washington 89, Houston 87

Team FIC Differential: Washington +14.8, Rockets -14.8

The Wizards (6-23) outlasted the Rockets (20-12) to record a rare victory. Antawn Jamison had 30 points and 12 rebounds; Andray Blatche tallied 16 points, 8 boards, and 5 assists; and Nick Young scored 14 points. Washington outrebounded Houston by two and limited the home team to 40% shooting. Ron Artest led with 20 points; Tracy McGrady posted 15 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds; and Luis Scola contributed 16 points and 5 boards for the Rockets.

Game FIC Scores

Antawn Jamison, Washington ? 23.5

Dominic McGuire, Washington ? 13.2

Tracy McGrady, Houston ? 12.2

Luis Scola, Houston ? 11.5

- Utah 112, Philadelphia 95

Team FIC Differential: Jazz +29.8, 76ers -29.8

The Jazz (19-14) outscored the 76ers (12-18) in all four quarters on Monday night to move five games over .500 on the season. Deron Williams led with 27 points and 6 assists; Andrei Kirilenko posted 16 points and 13 rebounds; and Mehmet Okur contributed 19 points and 10 boards. Utah shot 51%, while limiting Philadelphia to 1-for-9 shooting from downtown. Andre Iguodala had 17 points and 6 rebounds; Andre Miller tallied 13 points and 8 assists; and Thaddeus Young turned in 17 points and 7 boards.

Game FIC Scores

Andrei Kirilenko, Utah ? 23.5

Deron Williams, Utah ? 20.1

Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia ? 12.6

Thaddeus Young, Philadelphia ? 12.0

- Golden State 117, Toronto 111

Team FIC Differential: Warriors +11.8, Raptors -11.8

The Warriors (10-23) used a key run in the second quarter to beat the Raptors (12-19) at ORACLE Arena. Stephen Jackson had 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists; Marco Belinelli posted 23 points and 6 dimes; and Andris Biedrins added 13 points, 15 boards, and 5 blocks. Golden State shot 50% and outrebounded Toronto by ten. Chris Bosh starred with 30 points and 14 rebounds; Jose Calderon tallied 21 points and 16 assists; and Joey Graham contributed 11 points and 5 boards in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Jose Calderon, Toronto ? 27.3

Chris Bosh, Toronto ? 22.5

Stephen Jackson, Golden State ? 22.3

Andris Biedrins, Golden State ? 20.1

? 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

Detroit guard Richard Hamilton knew he was in trouble when he felt a pull in his troublesome left groin during Friday night's win over Oklahoma City.

He played through it but missed the entire fourth quarter and a day of treatment on the trouble spot; he was unable to play against Milwaukee on Saturday.

"I don't want to miss any games at all, especially at this time when we're all trying to find a rhythm," Hamilton said.

Hamilton originally injured the groin on Dec. 21 at Atlanta but played the next two games.

"It was kind of crazy because the next night A.I. got the same thing. But I kept playing through it," Hamilton said. "The first half of last night I felt (it) pull again. That's when I knew I was in trouble, and I was just hopeful I could keep on trying and keep playing ... maybe it will get better."

After passing up a chance to win the game against Utah last week, Allen Iverson was taking no chances against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.

According to the Associated Press, Iverson hit a runner with 0.2 seconds to give his Pistons a 90-88 win.

"The play was for me to run the clock down and try to get to the basket," he said. "There wasn't much time for me to create anything else."

"That was a great play by Allen," Pistons' Coach Michael Curry said. "He hadn't had much going for him in the first three quarters, but then he took over the game."

Lindsay Hunter was not sure if he wanted to come back after last season, but by the time he decided he would like to, the Pistons instead went with Will Bynum as their third point guard, The Detroit News is reporting.

"Yeah, we kind of went with Will," Coach Michael Curry said. "I liked Will, and we weren't sure whether Lindsey was going to come back or retire."

Hunter apparently had never heard that story. When asked why he isn't still a Piston today, he said, "That's for other people to answer for you. I can't answer that."

When asked if he wanted to re-sign with the Pistons, he said, "Definitely, that was my intention. But you know, things always happen, and you can ask the powers-that-be why. Then you can call me and tell me."

Despite wanting to remain with the Pistons, Hunter is happy to have an opportunity in Chicago.

"I don't have any hard feelings at all. I am happy," he said. "I've been blessed to play as long as I have and to be able to continue to play this game. I don't have no hard feelings for anybody."

Once Chauncey Billups has laced up his sneakers for the last time, he wants to move into the front office and run an NBA team just like Joe Dumars, the Detroit News is reporting.

During his time with the Pistons, Billups spent countless hours picking Dumars' brain about the intricacies and vagaries of team building and salary-cap management.

"I think it's a tough challenge (working) behind the scenes," Billups told the Denver Post. "You get to orchestrate, make moves and try to build a champion, and I think I know what it takes. ... You've got to be a personable guy; you've got to be able to incorporate relationships."

"(Billups and Dumars) had quite a few talks about him having an opportunity to step into an office," Pistons' Coach Terry Porter said. "But just because you had a long basketball career doesn't mean you're guaranteed to be a good coach or GM. You still have to be in those situations and learn on the job, learn from mistakes, just like you did as a player."

"Most players probably don't understand all the work that goes into being a GM, dealing with players, agents, front-office people, salary cap, trying to decide what pieces to add. There's a lot of stuff."

The Pistons lost Allen Iverson with a groin strain against the Bulls, but Rodney Stuckey came to the rescue, scoring a career high 40 points to help Detroit to a 104-98 win at home, the Associated Press is reporting.

"We came out slow in the third quarter, and I knew I had to pick it up," said Stuckey, who topped his previous career high by 13 points. "My teammates were finding me; I was getting to the basket and getting to the free-throw line and I scored 40 points. I was just taking what the defense gave me."

Stuckey has been Detroit's best player since coach Michael Curry moved him into the starting lineup seven games ago.

"I've always felt, even last year, that he was ready to start," Curry said. "Tonight, he was dictating the game. He wants to be an All-Star, and he's working in that direction."

Pistons' forward Tayshaun Prince addressed the recent hot topic of the team's propensity to get called for technical fouls this season.

Prince discussed the high frequency of technicals that teammates Richard Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace have been called for recently.

"Have you offered any free anger-management training for those guys?" a reporter asked Prince on Monday.

"I'm going to have to sooner or later because this is getting embarrassing," Prince responded. "So, I'll let them know in a couple days."

Detroit has an active streak of nine games with at least one technical foul.

"Them dudes, they off the chain," Prince said. "I can't help them. I talk to them as much as I can. I can't do nothing. You know what? There's been plenty of times where we've been aggressive going to the rim, couple things don't go our way, then a couple ticky-tack calls, and the next thing you know, we start to yell at the refs."