NBA

It has, without a doubt, been a disappointing November for the 76ers. The team didn't figure to get a whole lot better than last season's solid showing (which ended with a 4-2 first round surrender to Marcin Gortat), having lost first-string point guard Andre Miller and adding only 18-year-old point guard Jrue Holiday in the draft. But a 5-10 record out of the gate registers far below expectations, and that mark comes even with new starting PG Louis Williams playing really, really well.

And now even that bright spot is blotted out! Williams broke his jaw on Antawn Jamison's shoulder earlier this week, had it wired shut and will miss up to eight weeks. (He also missed Thanksgiving, tragically. Turkey malt shake, anyone?) In his place, Holiday started Wednesday, a (surprisingly) tight loss in Boston. (The Sixers had lost to Boston by 31 in Philly earlier this month.)

There used to be more than a few people who would refer to Stephen Jackson as the Warriors' best player. We know differently now.

Jackson wasn't the Warriors' best player the past couple of seasons. It was Monta Ellis. And even if it wasn't (and it was), it for sure is now. For the past week or so, Ellis has been staging his own little renaissance, and everyone's trying to figure out why.

Not coincidentally, the Warriors are playing their best basketball of the season, semi-righting themselves from a disastrous start. Ellis' impressive stretch -- which includes scoring 34, 37 and 42 points in each of the past three games -- comes in the wake of two noteworthy Golden State departures: Jackson and coach Don Nelson.

He is, with no apologies to Isiah Thomas, the best little man ever to play the game. Allen Iverson exudes a sinister sort of energy that makes him appealing in every arena, if also polarizing and detestable. He's fun and dynamic and a perpetual conversation piece, always armed with a combustible dagger on and off the court, yet there's a side of him so unnecessarily pigheaded -- "We talkin' about prac-tiss!" -- that you really want to grab his earlobes and shake him.

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- NBA star Shaquille O'Neal paid for the funeral of a 5-year-old North Carolina girl after being moved by national news coverage of the case of Shaniya Davis, who police say was kidnapped and killed.

The Cleveland Cavaliers player was touched by the stories he saw and got in touch with the family to see what he could do to help, a spokeswoman for O'Neal said Thursday.

ORLANDO -- Even when he struggles -- and he struggled badly Wednesday night -- Dwyane Wade will find a way to win games for the Miami Heat.

It's what the great ones do.

Wade rarely shoots this poorly -- six of 22 from the field -- but he still had the Orlando Magic defense on a string, reacting to his every move, opening the door again for his sometimes-forgotten, oft-maligned teammates.

"He just did it with his intelligence at the end,'' said Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra. "He's been in this situation so many times before.''

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After walking away from the Grizzlies and being rejected by the Knicks, Allen Iverson had nowhere to turn -- so, for the time being, he's decided to walk away from the game, announcing his plans to retire in a statement attributed to him on Stephen A. Smith's personal blog.

The statement expressed gratitude to his sponsors, fans and family for their support and inspiration -- as well as resentment for the lack of interest NBA teams have shown toward signing him as a starter.

"I would like to announce my plans to retire from the National Basketball Association. I always thought that when I left the game, it would be because I couldn't help my team the way that I was accustomed to. However, that is not the case. I still have tremendous love for the game, the desire to play, and a whole lot left in my tank. I feel strongly that I can still compete at the highest level."

Not only have the Lakers been dominant since the return of Pau Gasol, but they've been fun to watch, too. The home win over the Thunder was a complete circus, where you had Kobe Bryant hitting shots from behind the backboard, followed by an impromptu performance from Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, who was handed a mic during a fourth quarter timeout to "spontaneously" do one of his hit songs. Things are good right now in L.A., and the rest of the league has a lot of catching up to do -- read on to see where they all rank this week.

Jack Mai, the former assistant director of scouting for the Kings, has been barred from future employment in the NBA after a league investigation found that Mai had bet on numerous games, including ones involving the Kings. Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski initially reported the Mai banishment. League spokesman Tim Frank confirmed to FanHouse.com that Mai has been disqualified from future employment with any NBA team.

According to a league memo acquired by FanHouse, Mai was found to have bet small amounts on NBA games with acquaintances, and the league's year-long investigation found no proof Mai used his position with the Kings to influence the outcomes of games. But any betting on NBA games is barred by league rules.

Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling lives by his own rules. And the only one that matters, apparently, is this: all bad deeds go unpunished.

ORLANDO -- Miami's Dwyane Wade just raised the intrigue -- and opened a world of possibilities -- over his pending free agency when he was asked Wednesday afternoon who he really would like to play with in the NBA.

Wade will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, allowing him to play anywhere he wants.

"If I could pick one player in the league today to play with -- and most people think I'd say LeBron James -- I would pick Dwight (Howard)," Wade told FanHouse Wednesday after practice at Amway Arena. "I'd love for that to happen at some point. Dwight is already close right here in Orlando. People who say it couldn't happen (us playing on the same team), they don't know. I've learned in this league that anything is possible."