News from January 5. Dallas released Damon Jones and Rick Hughes. Charlotte activated Eddie Jones. Chicago activated Toni Kukoc. Cleveland activated Trajan Langdon and released A.J. Bramlett and Mark Hendrickson. Golden State activated Erick Dampier and released Drew Barry and Bill Curley. Houston released Devin Gray. The LA Clippers released Marty Conlon. Phoenix released Ben Davis. Seattle activated Jelani McCoy and placed Lazaro Borrell on IR with patella tendinitis in his right knee. Vancouver activated Antoine Carr and placed Cherokee Parks on IR with a strained right groin. LAL 118, LAC 101 - at LAL Shaquille O'Neal (LAL) had 40 points including 17-24 FG and 19 rebounds. Kobe Bryant (LAL) had 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists. Rick Fox (LAL) had 12 points. Lamar Odom (LAC) had 26 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks. Maurice Taylor (LAC) had 22 points and 11 rebounds. Tyrone Nesby (LAC) had 23 points. LAL out-rebounded LAC 60-42 including 40-9 offensive. Uta 118, Cha 96 - at Uta Karl Malone (Uta) had 30 points including 12-15 FG, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. John Stockton (Uta) had 16 points including 7-8 FG, 7 assists, and 3 steals. Howard Eisley (Uta) had 16 points on 7-9 FG. Elden Campbell (Cha) had 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks. David Wesley (Cha) had 19 points and 5 assists. Uta shot 61.7% (50-81) FG and Cha shot 41% (32-78) FG. Uta shot 13-16 FT and Cha shot 27-37 FT. Eddie Jones (Cha, torn ligament left elbow) did not play. Sea 99, SA 96 - at SA Horace Grant (Sea) had 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals. Gary Payton (Sea) had 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 10 assists. Brent Barry (Sea) had 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Tim Duncan (SA) had 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks. David Robinson (SA) had 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Chi 77, Was 66 - at Chi Toni Kukoc (Chi) had 18 points including 7-26 FG, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists. Elton Brand (Chi) had 16 points and 16 rebounds. Ron Artest (Chi) had 16 points including 7-10 FT and 7 rebounds. Juwan Howard (Was) had 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 steals. Tracy Murray (Was) had 18 points and 8 rebounds. Chi shot 36% (27-75) FG and Was shot 28.6% (24-84) FG. Randy Brown (Chi, sore left knee) did not play. Orl 116, Van 96 - at Orl John Amaechi (Orl) had 16 points and 5 rebounds. Tariq Abdul-Wahad (Orl) had 17 points and 6 rebounds. Chris Gatling (Orl) had 23 points on 7-11 FG and 9-10 FT. Shareef Abdur-Rahim (Van) had 17 points on 3-13 FG and 11-12 FT, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 5 turnovers. Mike Bibby (Van) had 14 points, 9 assists, and 5 turnovers. Orl shot 53.7% (43-80) FG and Van shot 41.8% (33-79) FG. Dennis Scott (Van, strained left calf) did not play. Phi 113, GS 92 - at Phi Matt Geiger (Phi) had 26 points including 11-19 FG and 4-8 FT and 9 rebounds. Allen Iverson (Phi) had 34 points on 11-19 FG and 11-11 FT, 6 assists, and 3 steals. Larry Hughes (Phi) had 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. Antawn Jamison (GS) had 26 points including 10-16 FG and 5 rebounds. Donyell Marshall (GS) had 17 points and 10 rebounds. Phi shot 53.1% (43-81) FG and GS shot 40.2% (35-87) FG. Chris Mills (GS, bone spurs) did not play. Det 120, Atl 108 - at Atl Grant Hill (Det) had 42 points including 13-15 FT and 6 assists. Christian Laettner (Det) had 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 steals. Jerry Stackhouse (Det) had 28 points including 11-17 FG, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists. Dikembe Mutombo (Atl) had 15 points and 8 rebounds. Isaiah Rider (Atl) had 27 points and 6 assists. [Subliminal note: Vote for Michael Finley for the All-Star game at http://allstar.nba.com/Ballot. Only Finley, Gary Payton, and Grant Hill are averaging more than 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.]