After matching a season high in goals, the Vancouver Canucks hope to withstand two more potential defensive absences against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday in an effort to regain a share of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The Canucks (33-24-10) got a short-handed goal from Alex Burrows 37 seconds into the first period Thursday before five others scored in a 6-2 win over Nashville. The season high-tying production came after Vancouver totaled six goals in going 0-2-2.

"We started with a lot of urgency, and urgency was warranted and needed," Canucks coach Alain Vigneault told the team's official Web site. "It was a very important game for us and our guys did what they've done throughout the year: they got ready to play hard."

The victory moved the Canucks into a tie with the Predators for eighth place in the West on 76 points, but Nashville moved ahead Friday with a 2-1 overtime victory at Calgary, tying Colorado for seventh with 78 points. The Predators are idle Saturday, while Colorado hosts Pacific Division-leading Dallas.

Vancouver will try to pull even with at least Nashville, but will likely have to do it without defensemen Mattias Ohlund, Aaron Miller and Kevin Bieksa.

Ohlund, who leads all Canucks blueliners with 22 points, missed Thursday's win and is expected to be out at least four-to-six days with bone chips in his left knee, which could require season-ending surgery.

Miller was leveled by Jordin Tootoo with 1:32 to play and went right to the locker room with an apparent shoulder injury. His status is still uncertain, but the incident triggered a fight in which Bieksa received an instigator penalty for scrapping with Vernon Fiddler.

Bieksa's penalty carries an automatic, but reviewable, one-game suspension.

The potential absences could add more pressure on Roberto Luongo, who made 21 saves against Nashville. The goaltender is 1-2-2 with a 2.66 goals-against average in his last five starts, but he is 3-0-2 with a 1.97 GAA in his last five at home.

Luongo has won three consecutive meetings against the Blues (29-28-10) at GM Place, posting a 1.93 GAA.

Daniel Sedin is looking to build on a three-assist performance that ended a four-game pointless stretch. The left wing, though, hasn't had a goal in a season-high seven consecutive games. Despite that slump, he still leads Vancouver with 26 goals and is tied with twin brother Henrik with a team-high 65 points.

Daniel Sedin has three goals and seven assists in the eight previous games against St. Louis, including a goal and three assists in the last two -- both victories.

The Blues, who are 13th in the conference and fading from the playoff race, are looking to rebound from a 4-1 loss at NHL-leading Detroit on Wednesday, which opened their franchise-record, nine-game road trip. The defeat came one night after a 3-2 victory over conference-worst Los Angeles -- their only win in the last eight games (1-6-1).

St. Louis has been outscored 22-8 in the eight games, being held to one goal or less in each of the seven defeats.

Brad Boyes -- the Blues' leader with 32 goals -- had only one shot Wednesday and has just one assist the last eight games, an assist against the Kings.

The right wing, though, has two goals and two assists in the three season matchups with Vancouver.

Manny Legace is also struggling during the eight-game stretch, posting a 2.70 GAA after going 4-0-1 with a 1.40 GAA in his previous five.

The netminder has a 3.44 GAA during a personal four-game losing streak at Vancouver.

Miami wasn't able to count on Shaquille O'Neal for much scoring in its loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in December. Now, he's completely out of the Heat's plans.

After finally trading the declining center, the lowly Heat continue the post-Shaq era Thursday night when they take on the 76ers.

Acquiring O'Neal in a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers on July 14, 2004, helped bring Miami a championship two years later, but trading him to Phoenix on Wednesday was perhaps an inevitable part of its rebuilding process.

The Heat (9-38), who have lost 20 of their last 21 games and have the NBA's worst record, sent O'Neal to the Suns for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks.

"It was a very, very hard decision for me," Miami coach Pat Riley said. "When Shaq came to the team four years ago, I always felt it was forever. We won a championship with him. We wish him nothing but the best. We have to move on with our team. We're rebuilding. This is not the most desirable place to be right now."

The 7-foot-1, 325-pounder, one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players, has been plagued by injuries in recent years and turns 36 next month. After finishing with a season-low five points on 2-of-4 shooting from the field in Miami's 96-85 loss to Philadelphia on Dec. 26, O'Neal missed the next eight games with left hip bursitis.

He played the following four games, but that injury has kept him sidelined again.

Averaging a career-low 14.2 points per game, O'Neal's 14-year streak as an All-Star came to an end this year. Mark Blount has been starting at center for the Heat -- he had 14 points in a 100-95 loss to Detroit on Wednesday night -- and he soon will be joined in the frontcourt by Marion.

It's expected that Marion won't make his Miami debut until Sunday against the Lakers. The five-time All-Star is averaging 15.8 points and 9.9 rebounds.

Banks, meanwhile, is purely a role player, averaging 6.2 points in 289 career games.

O'Neal's departure leaves Marion and Dwyane Wade to carry a Miami team that is averaging 88.0 points in its last five games. In December's matchup with the Sixers (19-30), the Heat shot 40.5 percent (34-for-84) from the field, including 1-for-13 from 3-point range.

Miami struggled despite a 27-point effort from Wade. Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala was the game's leading scorer, finishing with a then-season-high 28, and is set to again guard Wade in the key matchup. Both players lead their respective team in scoring, but they're also two of the league's best defenders.

Iguodala added seven rebounds and two assists to help the Sixers beat the Heat in Philadelphia for the 13th time in the teams' last 15 meetings there, while Wade finished with three steals.

On Tuesday night, Iguodala scored 20 points to lead Philadelphia to a 101-96 win over Washington. It was the Sixers' second game of a season-high five-game stretch at home, where they have won two of their last three.

Philadelphia has won three of its last five overall, averaging 102.6 points in that span.

Rookie forward Thaddeus Young has played a big role in the Sixers' offensive surge. The 12th overall pick in last year's draft has started three straight games, and is averaging 14.2 points in his last four contests.

While Young has had his time sitting on the bench decrease, Philadelphia coach Maurice Cheeks has been mostly relegated to a seat on the sideline the last two games due to gout. His left foot has been swollen, and he walked with a limp and only briefly paced the sideline Tuesday.

"I'd never seen nothing like that before," Sixers forward Rodney Carney said. "He said it's not going to bother him. He's going to coach like he always does."

Centrebet's FREE official team shirt promo is back!

The Calgary Flames hung tough while their leading scorer went 10 games without a goal, but they're anxious to make a move now that his drought is over.

Jarome Iginla and the Flames look to build off a dramatic come-from-behind win the last time out when they host the struggling Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night.

Calgary (27-19-8) snapped a two-game losing streak with a 4-3 shootout win over the Phoenix Coyotes on Tuesday. The Flames trailed 3-0 at the end of the second period, but Dion Phaneuf scored twice in the third period and Iginla tied the game with nine seconds remaining in regulation.

Iginla then scored in the third round of the shootout for the win.

"I was just trying to turn around and shoot it and that's the way it goes sometimes," Iginla said. "You're just trying to put it in the net. The ones you don't expect to, they go in sometimes. That sure felt good to see that go in."

Iginla, who leads Calgary with 67 points and 33 goals, had tallied just five assists since a one-goal, two-assist performance in a 6-4 win over the Los Angeles Kings back on Jan. 5. Before Tuesday's win, the Flames had gone 4-5-1 since that game.

Despite the recent mediocrity, they are in third place in a tight Northwest race in which first and fifth place are separated by just nine points.

Iginla wasn't the only one feeling good this week. Phaneuf signed a six-year contract extension Wednesday for an undisclosed amount. The All-Star defenseman was in the final year of his entry-level contract, which had him earning slightly more than $940,000.

"It remains very important for us to lock up our key young players," general manager Darryl Sutter told the Flames' official Web site. "Our goal with Dion was to provide an arrangement that will allow him to take his game to the next level."

The Flames look to hand Chicago (23-25-5) their sixth straight loss Thursday. The Blackhawks are winless after the first three games of a season-high seven-game road trip, during which they've been outscored 13-6.

Chicago struck first in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers when Patrick Sharp scored late in the first period. But Edmonton scored three times in the second period and again early in the third off goaltender Patrick Lalime, who recorded 23 saves.

Chicago, which was tied for ninth in the West on Dec. 29, has gone 4-10-3 since then to fall into last place in the Central and second-to-last place in the conference.

"We're not playing the way we can," Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith said. "At the same time, we know how fast that can change and how fast momentum can change and there's still time, but it is dwindling away and we need to get those points."

Chicago and Calgary have split their first two games this season, with Chicago winning 2-1 in Calgary on Nov. 22. The Flames have lost their last two home games against the Blackhawks after going 9-3-0 with four ties in the previous 16.

Even when the Detroit Red Wings aren't at their best, they are still better than most teams in the NHL.

The Red Wings look to match a season high with a ninth straight victory, while trying to continue their home dominance over the surging Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night.

Detroit (41-10-4) is four points shy of 90 after a stunning 3-2 overtime win at Minnesota on Tuesday night.

Trailing 2-1, Detroit's Dan Cleary snapped a five-game scoreless streak when he tied the game with 1:20 left in regulation. He later assisted on Brett Lebda's winner 1:37 into overtime.

"We weren't Red Wing-like, in my opinion, for the first two periods," said Detroit coach Mike Babcock, whose team won nine straight from Oct. 18-Nov. 9. "We're a better hockey team than that."

Few teams have been better this season than the Red Wings, who have outscored their opponents 25-11 during their current winning run.

Dominik Hasek made 24 saves Tuesday and is 5-0-0 with a 1.57 goals-against average during the Detroit's streak.

"We know we didn't have our stuff (Tuesday)," said Lebda, who has just three goals and nine assists. "We didn't have the jump we normally have, but that's why we have Dom back there."

Though Hasek has played well, Babcock is likely to start All-Star Chris Osgood on Thursday as he continues to alternate between the two.

Osgood, who is 22-3-2 with a 1.84 GAA, is 3-0-0 with 1.00 GAA during the streak. He recorded his third shutout of the season in a 3-0 win at Los Angeles on Jan. 22 in the teams' last meeting.

Osgood is 2-0-0 with a 0.50 GAA and .982 save percentage against Los Angeles in 2007-08.

The Red Wings look to sweep the season series from the Kings (22-30-3), whose 47 points are the fewest in the NHL, for the third time in four seasons.

Detroit, which has outscored Los Angeles 13-3 in three victories, has won four straight overall over the Kings. The Red Wings are also 11-0-0 with a tie at home against Los Angeles since a 3-2 loss on Feb. 18, 2000.

The Kings, who have lost 16 of their 17 overall against Detroit, won 4-2 over the New York Rangers on Tuesday to improve to 2-1-1 on their season-high eight-game road trip.

Anze Kopitar and Alexander Frolov each had a goal and an assist for the Kings, who have won seven of their last 11 contests.

"Our record is not great, but the team is showing character and playing really hard now," said Kopitar, who scored his career-high 21st goal and has two assists versus Detroit this season.

Jason LaBarbera made 39 saves Tuesday for the Kings and is 7-3-1 with a 2.77 GAA since losing three in a row. LaBarbera, however, is 0-3-1 with a 4.51 GAA versus Detroit.

The Vancouver Canucks have been coming up just short through the first three games of their road trip. That's the way things have been going for them for the past month, as well.

The slumping Canucks try to avoid going winless on a four-game trip Thursday when they visit the Atlanta Thrashers for the first time in nearly six years.

On Jan. 8, Vancouver (26-21-7) led the Northwest Division and was tied for the Western Conference's second-best record at 24-14-4. Since then, the Canucks have fallen to 10th place in the West and fourth in the division, five points back of Northwest-leading Minnesota.

Each of Vancouver's three losses on this trip have been by one goal. The Canucks are coming off a 3-2 shootout loss to Dallas on Tuesday that followed a 4-3 shootout defeat to Florida on Friday. They opened the trip with a 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay last Thursday.

While defenseman Sami Salo returned to the lineup Tuesday after sitting out two games with a groin injury, the Canucks' defense is still badly short-handed. Mattias Ohlund was back in Vancouver for personal reasons and Aaron Miller is out with a foot injury.

The Canucks are also without Willie Mitchell (back), Kevin Bieksa (calf) and Lukas Krajicek (shoulder), forcing youngsters into action on defense.

"It's not an excuse," said Roberto Luongo, who made 32 saves against the Stars and has been in goal for each game of the road swing. "It doesn't matter who you play back there. I wish (reporters) would stop asking me that. The young guys did a good job stepping up."

Earlier this season, Vancouver was thriving away from GM Place, with the league' fifth-best road record of 11-6-2 on Dec. 22. Since then, it has the league's second-worst road mark at 1-5-3.

The Canucks have not been swept on a road trip of at least four games since going winless on a five-game trip from Oct. 29-Nov. 4, 1997.

Vancouver has not visited Atlanta since a 4-2 victory March 16, 2002. The Canucks have won their last two trips to Philips Arena since losing 6-3 in their first game there on Nov. 22, 1999.

The Canucks have won four of their last five over the Thrashers. The teams have not met since a 3-2 Vancouver victory Feb. 10 -- their first matchup since Atlanta's 4-1 win on Feb. 13, 2004.

Markus Naslund, who scored both goals Tuesday, had a goal in last season's victory over the Thrashers. He has four goals and five assists in his last four games against them.

Luongo stopped 27 shots in the Feb. 10 matchup, but he hasn't had much success at Philips Arena lately, going 0-4-1 with a 3.81 goals-against average in his last five games there. He's 2-6-1 with one tie and a 3.22 GAA overall in Atlanta.

The Thrashers (26-26-4) lost 3-2 to Philadelphia on Tuesday, snapping their three-game winning streak. It was Atlanta's ninth straight defeat to the Flyers.

Two-time All-Star Ilya Kovalchuk returned to the Thrashers' lineup Tuesday and scored his 39th goal of the season after missing two games with a right knee injury. Despite wearing a brace on the knee, Kovalchuk said "I feel pretty good."

"I thought it was going to be worse than that," Kovalchuk said, adding the brace "didn't bother me at all."

Kari Lehtonen stopped 33 shots Tuesday after making 36 saves in Saturday's 2-0 win over Washington. Lehtonen stopped 30 shots in last season's loss to the Canucks -- his only career game against them.

The Edmonton Oilers won't let the loss of their leading scorer prevent them from trying to make a run at the postseason.

The Oilers look to win their second straight game since learning Shawn Horcoff will miss the rest of the season when they face the struggling Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night.

Edmonton (24-26-5) avoided a third consecutive loss with a 5-0 win over Calgary on Monday night, hours after Horcoff announced he will have surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. The 29-year-old All-Star forward had 21 goals and 29 assists in 53 games in 2007-08.

While Horcoff's loss is a major blow to the Oilers, who are last in the Northwest Division and 13th in the Western Conference, they are still very much in striking distance of the eighth and final playoff spot.

"There are only two ways you can deal with losing your best player," said defenseman Steve Staios, who had a goal Monday. "One is to use it as a crutch and an excuse, and the other way is to come out and give your best."

Ales Hemsky and Sam Gagner each had a goal and an assist Monday, while Mathieu Garon made 24 saves for his fourth shutout of the season as the Oilers improved to 1-2-0 on their four-game homestand.

"It's a game we needed and points that we needed," said Edmonton's Jarret Stoll, who had two assists. "On the day that (Horcoff) made it official that he's gone for the season, it shows that we're not going to give up."

Hemsky, second on the team with 47 points, could have more of an offensive impact in Horcoff's absence. He has three goals and five assists in 14 career games against Chicago, including a goal in the Oilers' 3-2 shootout home win over the Blackhawks on Nov. 24.

Garon, 16-12-1 with a 2.43 goals-against average, is likely to be back in net Wednesday after his performance against Calgary. He made 31 saves in the Oilers' 3-2 loss at Chicago on Dec. 23 in the teams' most recent meeting, but is 4-2-0 with a 2.15 GAA in his career versus the Blackhawks.

Although the Oilers have lost two of three to the Blackhawks, they'll look for their fifth straight win at home in the series.

Chicago (23-24-5), making its third stop on a season-high seven-game road trip, fell 3-2 in a shootout at San Jose on Saturday. The Blackhawks are 0-3-1 since winning four in a row from Jan. 13-19.

Despite being just eight wins shy of matching last season's total, the young Blackhawks are last in the Central Division and two points behind Edmonton in the West.

Patrick Sharp and All-Star Duncan Keith had goals Saturday, while Nikolai Khabibulin made 37 saves for Chicago.

Although Khabibulin is 0-8-2 with a 3.22 GAA since winning four in a row, he could be back in goal Wednesday after a solid performance over the weekend.

"His performance was incredible," coach Denis Savard said. "I believe in him, and he's a battler. You don't win a (Stanley) Cup (by) not competing and not being as good as he is."

Khabibulin is 3-1-1 with a 1.59 GAA in his last five starts versus the Oilers.

The prospect of the Philadelphia Flyers winning a division title one season after finishing with the worst record in franchise history would be a huge surprise.

The Washington Capitals doing the same after a dismal start in 2007-08 would be just as shocking.

The red-hot Flyers look to extend their Atlantic Division lead when they conclude their regular-season series against league scoring leader Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals.

Following a dismal 2006-07 that saw them finish 22-48-18, the Flyers overhauled their roster in the offseason, adding forwards Daniel Briere, Scott Hartnell and Joffrey Lupul and defensemen Kimmo Timonen and Jason Smith.

Those moves figured to help Philadelphia (30-17-5) contend for a playoff spot, but a division title seemed unlikely. The Flyers, though, currently lead the Atlantic by two points over New Jersey and Pittsburgh, and are only three points behind struggling Ottawa for first in the Eastern Conference.

Steve Downie scored with 4:29 left in the third period and Antero Niittymaki stopped 23 shots in Philadelphia's 3-2 victory Tuesday at Atlanta. Mike Knuble and Mike Richards also scored for the Flyers, winners of five straight on the road and 14 of their last 18 overall (14-3-1).

"We're playing good on the road," Downie said. "We want to keep it going."

With Niittymaki improving to 8-0-0 in his career against Atlanta, Martin Biron is likely to be in net against Washington (25-24-5). Biron is 5-0-0 with a 2.28 goals-against average and one shutout in his last seven appearances.

Knuble, who recorded his first NHL hat trick in 707 career games in a 3-0 win over Anaheim on Saturday, has six goals in his last six games.

After facing Ilya Kovalchuk, the league's second-leading goal scorer, Philadelphia will have to contend with Ovechkin, the NHL leader with 45 goals and 72 points. Ovechkin's second goal of the game 2:28 into overtime lifted the Capitals to a 4-3 come-from-behind victory on Tuesday at Columbus.

"It doesn't matter what the score is -- 2-0, 4-0 -- you've just got to play," Ovechkin said. "We just have to believe in ourselves. We know we can win the game. It doesn't matter what happens. This was a big game for the young guys. We're just growing up."

Ovechkin has seven game-winning goals this season, tied with New Jersey's Patrik Elias for the league lead.

The Russian-born superstar, who has six goals in his last three games, has always performed well against the Flyers, collecting 11 goals and nine assists in only 11 games.

Tom Poti also scored and set up the game-winning goal for Washington, which pulled within one point of Southeast Division co-leaders Carolina and Atlanta.

Poti has 15 points this season after notching 44 for the New York Islanders in 2006-07.

"I'm having a tough time scoring but I think I'm playing really well defensively and helping the team," Poti said. "It's a huge two points tonight."

Olaf Kolzig figures to be in net for Washington after he sat behind Brent Johnson on Tuesday. Kolzig has won five of his last seven decisions against Philadelphia.

The Flyers are 2-0-1 this season against the Capitals after losing all four meetings in 2006-07. Washington has won three straight visits to Philadelphia after dropping its previous nine games there.

Beating the New Jersey Devils over the past few years has been very difficult for the Buffalo Sabres. Taking them to a shootout this season certainly hasn't provided the winning formula.

The Sabres hope to avoid getting swept in a season series by the Devils for the first time in a decade on Wednesday night when the teams meet at HSBC Arena.

New Jersey has dominated the series with Buffalo lately, going 16-4-0 with three ties since the start of the 2001-02 season. The Devils' three victories over the Sabres this season have decided in a shootout.

Buffalo (24-21-7) hasn't lost all four games to New Jersey in a season series since 1997-98.

The Sabres' last meeting with the Devils was one of their most frustrating losses of the season as they squandered a two-goal lead before losing 3-2 in a shootout at home on Jan. 12.

After falling behind 3-1 in the third period, New Jersey (30-20-3) appeared headed for its fourth loss in five games Monday against Pittsburgh. The Devils, though, got goals from Patrik Elias and David Clarkson less than two minutes apart midway through the final period and Zach Parise scored 37 seconds into overtime for a 4-3 victory.

Instead of completing a 1-4-0 homestand, New Jersey brings a two-game winning streak to Buffalo before returning to the Prudential Center for four straight games.

"It wasn't reinventing the wheel," said Parise, who had two assists to go with his 20th goal. "We had to put forth a better effort and we did in the third. Hopefully we saw the way we need to play."

Elias had a goal and two assists in the win, giving him six goals and four assists in his past six contests. Also contributing offensively is captain Jamie Langenbrunner, who has three goals and five assists during a seven-game point streak.

The Devils, who trail Atlantic Division-leading Philadelphia by two points, have outscored opponents 14-6 during a three-game road win streak.

Buffalo continued its strong play of late with a 4-2 victory Tuesday at Boston. Daniel Paille scored twice and Ryan Miller stopped 30 shots for the Sabres, who are 4-0-1 in their last five games -- all on the road -- after winning just once in the previous 13 overall contests (1-7-5).

"After the first two games (of the road trip), we knew we needed to pick it up," Paille said. "We're not in a playoff spot yet, so we've got to keep it up."

The victory moved Buffalo up to 10th in the Eastern Conference, four points behind Boston for the eighth and final playoff berth.

Miller's outstanding play is one reason for the Sabres' resurgence. He is 4-0-0 with a 1.50 goals-against average in his last five starts, and has also played very well in three starts this season against the Devils, yielding four regulation goals on 90 shots.

Jason Pominville has also played a key role for Buffalo, tallying two goals and five assists in his last three games. He leads the team with 32 assists and 45 points.

Finally healthy again, the Los Angeles Clippers managed to end a long road losing streak on Monday.

Now, they have to visit the best team in the Eastern Conference.

The Clippers look to build on their first win in 10 road games when they face the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.

Corey Maggette and Chris Kaman both returned on Monday and the Clippers (15-30) beat the New York Knicks 103-94. Maggette scored 19 points after missing four games with the flu, and Kaman had 15 and nine rebounds after sitting out a total of five games with a shin injury and the flu.

However, the Clippers were without coach Mike Dunleavy, who stayed at the team hotel because he was sick. Assistant Kim Hughes took over in his absence.

"I was surprised at how they played," Hughes said of Maggette and Kaman. "They both played wild and took bad shots in that second period. Obviously, Chris did a very good job of defending in the low post."

The win was Los Angeles' first on the road since a 98-91 victory on Dec. 14 in Memphis. The nine-game road slide was the Clippers' longest since Feb. 4-28, 2005.

With Staples Center preparing to host the Grammy Awards, the Clippers will be playing the fourth of a seven-game trip. They won at Madison Square Garden on Monday by outscoring the Knicks 52-34 in the second half.

"It is basketball. Guys make runs," Kaman said. "We just did a better job in the second half. We just played better than they did."

The Clippers have won three straight against the Celtics -- but Boston (36-9) is a different team this season than the one that finished 2006-07 with the worst record in the East. After acquiring Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett in the offseason, the Celtics have a three-game lead over Detroit in the race for the conference's best record.

However, Garnett -- who is averaging 19.2 points and a team-high 9.9 rebounds -- missed his fourth straight game Tuesday with an abdominal strain and will likely sit this one out as well. Garnett also is doubtful for Friday's game in Minnesota, which would be his first visit back there since the Timberwolves traded him to Boston last summer.

Without their All-Star center, the Celtics lost for the third time in six games, falling 114-113 in Cleveland. Ray Allen scored 24 points and Paul Pierce added 19 for Boston, which has won four of five at home.

"We're not going to use the Garnett thing as an excuse," coach Doc Rivers said. "He's not going to be around for the next couple of games. I'm not going to allow them to use that."

Pierce was also battling a flu bug that has been working its way through Boston's roster.

"Our defense was awful," Rivers said. "When you shoot 57 percent and lose, that's a tough one to swallow."

Pau Gasol didn't take long to fit in with his new team. He may have to do much more for them very quickly.

With Kobe Bryant nursing a dislocated pinky, Gasol looks to build off his successful debut with the Los Angeles Lakers as they visit the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night in the fifth of a season-high nine-game road trip.

In his first game with Los Angeles (30-16) on Tuesday, Gasol scored 24 points and added 12 rebounds to lead the Lakers to a 105-90 win over New Jersey. Gasol was acquired from Memphis on Friday in a deal that sent former top overall pick Kwame Brown, rookie Javaris Crittenton and two future first-round draft picks to the Grizzlies.

The Lakers expect Gasol to be a presence in the paint with Andrew Bynum expected to be sidelined at least another six weeks with a knee injury, and as a secondary scoring option with Bryant. Gasol was second on Memphis in scoring with 18.9 points and led them with 8.8 rebounds per game.

"He played extremely well," Bryant said of his new teammate. "Defenses are used to playing a certain way. You know, screen-and-roll, where I come off the pick, they're used to playing a certain way.

"Now they have to evaluate how they play that. It's going to be a little bit more for defenses to kind of try to come up with a scheme."

Los Angeles, which improved to 3-1 on the trip, may need Gasol to step up after the finger injury limited Bryant to a season-low six points. Bryant, who still played 40 minutes, was 3-of-13 from the floor in his first single-digit scoring game since tallying eight against Denver on Jan. 6, 2007.

It was his fewest points since being held to two in six minutes after spraining his ankle against Cleveland on Jan. 13, 2005.

"It feels pretty sore," Bryant, who also had seven turnovers, told the Lakers' official Web site. "I just don?t feel like I have four fingers. It just don?t feel it, it feels like its not there. I went for a steal and my finger got caught on Jason?s (Kidd) arm and I just kept going one way and my finger the other. During the game it felt like my finger wasn?t there.?

Bryant is second in the league in scoring with 28.0 points per game, and his status for this game is not immediately known. He's averaging 30.2 points in six career starts in Atlanta.

The Hawks (20-24) will be trying for their first three-game winning streak since a four-game run from Dec. 15-26. Atlanta beat Philadelphia 96-91 on Monday as Josh Childress scored 21 points and Josh Smith added 19, nine assists and nine blocks.

The Hawks trailed 32-14 at the end of the first quarter and by six at halftime. Smith had six blocks in the second quarter.

"He changed the whole game," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "It's a shame that we put that kind of pressure on him. ... We just have to lock in and take the individual challenge to guard the ball. That's what we weren't doing, and he was covering up a lot of our mistakes."

Smith is having the best season of his four-year career, averaging 18.1 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists.

Atlanta has lost two straight to the Lakers and four of the last six at Philips Arena.

Despite another impressive effort by Dirk Nowitzki, the Dallas Mavericks continued their season-long inconsistency on the road their last game.

Nowitzki and the Mavericks (31-14) hope to rebound Sunday, when they try to sweep their two-game series against the Detroit Pistons for the first time in five seasons.

The 7-footer recorded his fourth straight double-double on Thursday in Dallas' 96-90 loss to the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics. Nowitzki scored 31 points, including 17 in the third quarter. He also added 11 rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots.

Nowitzki hit both free throws with 58 seconds left to tie the game at 90, but after coming down with the rebound on Paul Pierce's missed shot, Rajon Rondo grabbed the ball away and scored the go-ahead basket.

"I had the rebound in my hand," Nowitzki said, "and then Rondo came out of nowhere and snuck it up to the basket before I could react."

Despite failing to secure the rebound, coach Avery Johnson said Nowitzki, who is averaging 27.3 points the last four games, isn't to blame.

"He came up big for us, and that's what we expect of him," Johnson said. "You know, we look for him when times are tough and sometimes we need to get his back."

The Mavericks had a four-game winning streak end with Thursday's loss, and are just 11-11 on the road. Their last road win against a team that currently has a winning record was a 96-83 victory at Houston on Dec. 15.

Dallas, which has won 12 of its last 15 overall -- including a 102-86 victory at home against the Pistons (33-13) on Jan. 9 -- is looking to bounce back against a Detroit team that has won four straight.

The Pistons extended their longest winning streak since an 11-game run from Dec. 14-Jan. 4 with a 90-89 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.

Tayshaun Prince scored 22 points while Chauncey Billups added 16 and seven assists. Detroit trailed by as many as 17 in the first half, but rallied as Prince's 3-pointer with four seconds to play provided the winning points.

Billups credited the reserves, who outscored the Lakers' bench 29-19, for the win.

"I was really proud of our bench. They were great," Billups said. "It was a big win for us."

With the victory, Detroit improved to 16-4 at the Palace of Auburn Hills, and only the Celtics have a better record at home. Detroit is averaging just 99.0 points at home, but the defense is holding opponents to just 87.0 per game.

The Pistons have lost consecutive games to the Mavericks, including January's loss. Dallas shot 56.8 percent in the game, went 10-for-16 from 3-point range and Nowitzki had 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting.

Dallas and Detroit have alternated decisions in the last seven games at the Palace, where the Mavericks won 92-88 last season.