Shaquille O'Neal was inactive for the Miami Heat's game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.

O'Neal, who has played only six games this season because of a knee injury, hurt his calf in practice Monday and is day-to-day. The All-Star center returned to the lineup after an extended stay on the injured list last week.

Eddie Jones agreed on a buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, giving up about $300,000 of his $15.7 million salary.

A source close to the situation said Jones has already decided he'll sign with Miami once he clears waivers on Thursday.

Miami is shopping Jason Williams, as they look for a reliable point guard, but they are also reportedly interested in a legitimate scorer.

"A lot of calls are being made in hopes of landing a legit scorer, someone like Ricky Davis," said one Western Conference executive.

Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade will defend his PlayStation? Skills Challenge title against three of the league?s biggest stars on Feb. 17 as part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The competitors hoping to deny Wade?s quest for a repeat are the Los Angeles Lakers? Kobe Bryant, the Cleveland Cavaliers? LeBron James and the Phoenix Suns? Steve Nash.

The PlayStation Skills Challenge was introduced at NBA All-Star 2003 in Atlanta and consists of four players competing in a two-round timed ?obstacle course? consisting of dribbling, passing and shooting stations. All players must observe basic NBA ball-handling rules while completing the course. The two players with the fastest times from the first round advance to the finals with the order of competition determined by inverse order of the first round times. At the discretion of the referee, television instant replay may be consulted for clarification of rules compliance.

Shaquille O'Neal helped catch a hit-and-run suspect early Sunday morning.

O'Neal and bodyguard Jerome Crawford had just returned from an away game in Chicago.

They were outside Crawford's Coconut Grove home unloading luggage when a car, driven by Emmnueo Cibrin, 18, veered into O'Neal's parked 2007 Cadillac Escalade.

O'Neal and his bodyguard saw Cibrin leaving the scene, and leapt into the damaged SUV to give chase. They tailed Cibrin and passenger Junior Rondon for about five minutes before catching up with the two Tampa friends near Southwest 17th Avenue and Coral Way.

Rondon said he and Cibrin had just left an area nightclub when they struck the open driver-side door of a black Cadillac Escalade parked in the street. Cibrin kept driving, Rondon said, but with good reason.

''He was going to stop, but then we saw the Escalade chasing us,'' Rondon told The Miami Herald on Sunday. ``We got scared and kept driving, you know?''

Eddie Jones has spoken to Memphis about a buyout, and the Heat are expected to explore a potential return if he's set free.

Jones was dealt to Memphis in a 2005 trade.

Chicago defeated Miami 100-97 to win its third straight, but in the process lost center Ben Wallace to a left knee sprain with 5:01 remaining.

Wallace, who finished with 15 rebounds, will have further tests and is listed day-to-day.

Shaquille O'Neal sat out for the Heat.

With Miami continuing to be mathematically out of the playoffs at this point, it is likely that Pat Riley will continue to seek a trade to improve the club.

They are still interested in Corey Maggette who appears to be off the trading block now.

New York's 116-96 thumping of Miami, which included 52 points by Jamal Crawford, dropped the Heat to 19-24, but the way Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade talked afterward at their lockers, it seems as if the defending champs are teetering on the edge of a full-blown crisis.

"I'm getting sick and tired of this ---. I've never been five games under .500 in my career. It's embarrassing," said O'Neal. "Now that I'm back, I guess I've got to get on some guys' (cases). I guess I've got to be the ugly man to get it done."

The 7-1 big man did not name Heat players he thought were slacking, but said his team was in a "funk" and that it was his "job as a leader to make sure everyone gets back on track."

Wade also was clearly irked about the team's slumping ways.

"I'm not a motivator. I've never been," Wade said. "Everybody's looking for me to come in and make a speech. It's not going to happen, man. I just try to go out there and play and hopefully my play speaks for itself.

"Guys have to look at themselves in the mirror. Everyone's got to come in on both ends of the floor and play hard - have some pride about it. Something's gotta change. I'll leave it up to y'all's imagination."

Stephon Marbury felt good enough to run but not jump and cut on his sore left knee.  

Marbury told the media that he has no doubt that he will be back for Friday's game at Madison Square Garden versus the Miami Heat.  

Marbury expects the knee to feel much better than it did when he was removed from Monday's game in Miami.  

?These two days are going to be huge for me,? Marbury said. ?It?s just like more stiff than hurting.  The pain part is gone, as far as the way how it felt when I initially did it.?