(My Sportsbook) - Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy said jokingly after Saturday's win over the Utah Jazz that injured All-Star center Dwight Howard may not get his starting job back when he's ready to return.

Of course Van Gundy was kidding, or was he? Nah, he's not that stupid.

Howard is a freak of nature and his shoulders are wider than most automobiles, making him one of the best young players in the game today. The 2008 Olympic gold medalist was on the sideline Saturday after injuring his left knee the night before at Phoenix. No worries though for Orlando and its fans because the chiseled defending Slam Dunk champ is listed as day-to-day.

He had played in 351 straight games since the Magic tabbed him No. 1 overall in the 2004 NBA Draft. Howard is averaging 21.1 points and an NBA-best 14.1 rebounds per game this season. He owns 17 double-doubles and has scored in double figures 22 times. Marcin Gortat had four points and four boards as Howard's replacement in Salt Lake City.

The Magic (18-6) are 3-1 so far on a five-game road trip out west and will wrap up the trek on Monday at Golden State. The Southeast Division leaders are 9-3 as the visitor this season. After their trek out west, the Magic will return home to Amway Arena for four games versus the Spurs, Lakers, Warriors and Hornets. Orlando is 8-4 against Western Conference opponents in 2008-09.

HEAT STAR WADE TOPS AMONG SCORERS

Ahh to be young, healthy and in tip-top shape. That's the current condition of Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade, who is back in excellent form after missing a surplus of games in 2007-08 because of various injuries.

Now Wade is leading the NBA in scoring at a 29.1 clip and has scored in double figures in every game this season. The four-time All-Star has played no less than 26:50 in a game and that contest was a 103-77 blowout of Sacramento back on October 31.

The former Marquette hero was averaging 34.7 points on 53.7 percent shooting in his previous six games before scoring 21 points in Friday's 87-73 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Wade was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the week ending December 7. He averaged 32.7 points, 8.3 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 2.33 blocks and 2.00 steals during the period.

Miami (12-10) had a four-game winning streak come to an end versus the Hawks in the finale of a three-game homestand. It will visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday at FedEx Forum before returning to South Beach to host the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers.

DON'T MESS WITH THE HAWKS AT HOME

Not even the aura of NBA darling and Cleveland Cavaliers all-world guard LeBron James could intimidate the young Atlanta Hawks on their home floor.

James and the Cavs entered Philips Arena on Saturday night in search of a franchise-record 12th straight win, but instead were handed a 97-92 setback by the Hawks, who improved to 8-1 as the host this season. Atlanta has won six straight at home and opened a lengthy eight-game residency in impressive fashion.

The Hawks (14-9) had five players in double figures, with Mike Bibby leading the way with 24 points. Since last season's playoff series against the Boston Celtics, Atlanta owns an 11-1 mark as the host.

Joe Johnson leads the team in scoring (22.9) and assists (5.3), and is currently tied with Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant for eighth in the NBA in scoring. Johnson had 17 points and eight assists in the win over the Cavs.

Atlanta has won two in a row overall after a three-game slide and will also welcome the Bobcats, Celtics, Warriors, Pistons, Thunder, Bulls and the Nuggets to A-Town.

CHARLOTTE'S CAUGHT IN A WEB OF FUTILITY

Bobcats head coach Larry Brown is not cut out for this anymore and should be on the beach somewhere with his gorgeous wife sipping martinis.

The bespectacled Hall of Famer and coaching maniac is caught in a six-game losing streak and even traded away leading scorer Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley to the Phoenix Suns this week. Brown got guard Raja Bell, forward Boris Diaw and rookie point guard Sean Singletary in return, and later picked up forward Juwan Howard.

Brown rid himself of smaller, wing-type players and added size and defense with the recent acquisitions. Bell played for Brown when he guided the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals back in 2001 and won't be able to make Charlotte a contender on his own. The Bobcats already have talented players in Raymond Felton, Emeka Okafor, Gerald Wallace and rookie D.J. Augustin, so it's up to both the new and current players if they want to buy into Brown's philosophy.

Okafor, Howard and Diaw will give Charlotte a frontcourt Brown only wished he had during his Finals run with the Sixers. Meanwhile, Augustin has picked up the slack in Richardson's absence by scoring in double figures in six of the last seven games.

Charlotte (7-17) will try to stop its losing streak Monday at Atlanta and is just 1-8 as the visitor this season. It has lost four straight on the road.

STRUGGLES CONTINUE FOR WIZARDS

The losses keep piling up for the Washington Wizards, who have dropped two in a row and five of their last six games.

Washington (4-17) is last in the Southeast standings and will play three of the next four games at the Verizon Center, where it owns a 3-9 record this season.

The Wizards tried bolstering their backcourt by trading for Mike James and Javaris Crittenton from Memphis as part of a three-team deal. They sent guard Antonio Daniels to New Orleans and a first-round draft pick back to the Grizzlies that was part of an earlier deal.

Wizards interim head coach Ed Tapscott, who took over for the fired Eddie Jordan following a 1-10 start, probably can't wait until star guard Gilbert Arenas recovers from his third knee surgery. Arenas has already started rehabilitation and may return to the hardwood in January.

Through the first 21 games of the season, Antawn Jamison has posted 13 double-doubles. Last season, he recorded 44 of them. Caron Butler was averaging 24.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game before finishing with 15 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's loss to Philadelphia.