Basketball : NBA 2009/2010

Cavaliers star LeBron James, who missed two games after twisting his right ankle last week against Detroit, is likely to play at Philadelphia on Friday. The reigning league MVP and front-runner for the award this year leads all players in scoring, with 30.0 points per game, while handing out 8.5 assists, good for sixth in the league, and pulling down 7.2 rebounds through 63 games. James' teammate, Antawn Jamison, will sit out Friday's game because of a cyst behind his left knee.

Heat forward Michael Beasley has a bruised left thigh and is listed as a game-time decision for Miami's key game against the Chicago Bulls on Friday. Beasley is Miami's second-leading scorer behind Dwyane Wade, averaging 15.3 points per game. Meanwhile, forward Dorell Wright has been charged with driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license. The news comes just weeks after Heat point guard Carlos Arroyo was also arrested after a traffic stop.

Forward Peja Stojakovic joined All-Star point guard Chris Paul on the injured list, and he's expected to miss at least two weeks with a lower abdominal strain. Stojakovic has strained his right groin during Monday's game against the Golden State Warriors, another hit to the New Orleans Hornets' depleted starting lineup. Paul has missed 19 games following surgery on his left knee last month and was also sidelined for eight games earlier this season with an ankle injury.

Tony Parker won't need surgery for the broken bone in his right hand, meaning he may be able to return for the playoffs. He is still expected to be sidelined for about six weeks. The injury occurred late in the first half of Saturday's 102-92 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Parker is the team's second-leading scorer this season, averaging 16.5 points with a team-best 5.7 assists in 50 games.

Kenyon Martin will receive therapy on his aching left knee and is expected to return before the end of the season. The forward will begin platelet rich plasma therapy, a treatment which uses a patient's own blood components to stimulate healing. He has been playing through persistent pain and swelling in the knee the last few weeks. Martin is having his best season since joining Denver in 2004. He is averaging 11.8 points and 9.6 rebounds this season.

Kenyon Martin missed Sunday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers because of continuing left knee soreness. The Nuggets forward has been playing through persistent pain and swelling in the knee in the last few weeks but the condition, which the team has described as chronic patella tendinitis, apparently has worsened in recent days. Martin's status would become clear after his meeting with the doctors. The Nuggets also were without guard Ty Lawson, who was held out of a fourth consecutive game because of a bruised left shoulder.

Tony Parker is expected to miss the remainder of the NBA regular season. The San Antonio Spurs guard left Saturday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies with a broken bone in his right hand and could miss six weeks. Parker, the team's second-leading scorer at 16.6 points a game, suffered a fractured fourth metacarpal late in the first half.

The Miami Heat suspended Rafer Alston indefinitely after the point guard failed to show up for practice on Friday and Miami's game against Atlanta on Saturday. Alston had recently been unseated as the starting point guard after coach Erik Spoelstra handed those duties over to Carlos Arroyo before the Los Angeles Lakers game on Thursday. Since signing with Miami as a free agent on January 7, Alston has played in 25 games, all starts, and posted averages of 6.6 points and 2.9 assists.

Dallas center Brendan Haywood missed the final three quarters of Friday night's game against the Kings due to lower back tightness. The Mavericks were already without guard Jason Terry (who underwent surgery Friday for facial injuries), center Erick Dampier (dislocated right middle finger) and forward Tim Thomas (personal reasons).

Detroit's Rodney Stuckey was wheeled off the court on a stretcher during the third quarter after he collapsed on the bench during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Play was halted for 12 minutes as the medical staff worked on Stuckey, placed an oxygen mask on his face and wheeled him into an ambulance. The Pistons said Stuckey was taken to the Cleveland Clinic and his vital signs were stable, but was going for further testing and observation.