Los Angeles  - Jason Kapono of the Toronto Raptors is aiming to shoot his way into the record books as only the third player to win the Three-Point Shootout Competition three consecutive times.

Kapono faces All-Star reserves Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers), Rashard Lewis (Orlando Magic), along with Mike Bibby (Atlanta Hawks), Roger Mason (San Antonio Spurs) and Daequan Cook (Miami Heat) in the competition on February 14 as part of NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix, Arizona.

Los Angeles  - Dirk Nowitzki probably will never like visiting Miami. On Saturday, he was a very rude guest.

Nowitzki was unstoppable, making 12-of-14 shots en route to 30 points Saturday night as the Dallas Mavericks rolled to their ninth consecutive victory over the Miami Heat,
111-96.

Jason Terry added 20 points for Dallas, which has not lost to Miami in the regular season since March 26, 2004. However, the Mavericks dropped four straight games to the Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals, squandering a 2-0 series lead and a championship.

Los Angeles  - The Orlando Magic turned a good day into a better one.

Dwight Howard powered for 22 points with 18 rebounds, Turkish sharpshooter Hedo Turkoglu had 19 points with 11 rebounds, and the Magic dominated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second half for a 99- 88 victory on Thursday night, in a showdown between Eastern Conference powerhouses.

"Tonight, we played our game," Howard said, "We shot with confidence. We played inside and out and everybody locked in. We made sure we played good defence and made them make tough shots. That's what we have to do."

Los Angeles  - Spaniard Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers is officially an All-Star again.

Gasol was named to the Western Conference for the second time in his career on Thursday, as the NBA announced the list of 14 players chosen by the coaches as reserves for the All-Star Game, to be played on February 15 in Phoenix, Arizona.

"I think it's something that gives me a lot of pride and it's an honour to be part of that game," said Gasol, who played in the 2006 mid-season showpiece as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Los Angeles  - Spaniards Rudy Fernandez of the Portland Trail Blazers and Mar Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies will try to snap a six-game stranglehold the Sophomores have over the first-year players, after being selected on Wednesday to the Rookie Challenge Team.

The event kicks off next month's NBA All-Star Weekend, February 13-15 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose, the first overall pick in the 2008 draft, leads the rookies team, which is highlighted by two sets of teammates.

Los Angeles  - The Charlotte Bobcats beat the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, but it came with a price.

Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace was diagnosed with having 30-40 per cent of his left lung collapsed and a non-displaced fracture of the fifth rib following a CT-Scan at Centinela Hospital in Los Angeles, the team announced.

Wallace had a chest tube inserted into the lung to help restore it to functional capacity, but will remain in the hospital over the next 48 hours for observation. Additional information about his progress and a timetable for his return will be updated in the coming days ahead.