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NBA team reports on the second half of the Eastern conference. Note that these reports do not include Tuesday's results.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS: Since opening 3-1, the Bucks have dropped 15 of their last 18 games and the injuries are so bad that management recently asked the league for a roster exemption. Toni Kukoc, Daniel Santiago and T.J. Ford are on the injured list and aren't coming back anytime soon. On Thursday, Erick Strickland was placed on the IL with a knee injury and may have arthroscopic surgery. In addition to the four sidelined players, Keith Van Horn has missed eight straight games with right ankle tendintis. Without him the Bucks are 2-6 and averaging 90.5 points ... Before Saturday's game vs. the 76ers, the Bucks signed guard Eddie House. House was released by Charlotte on December 4 and scored eight points in 17 minutes. After playing seven games in 12 days, a stretch that featured six flights, the Bucks play just five times in the next 13 days.

NEW JERSEY NETS: The Nets entered the Vince Carter sweepstakes Friday and emerged as the surprise winner. They acquired him for Aaron Williams, Eric Williams and Alonzo Mourning as well as a pair of two first-round picks. Carter is on the injured list and wasn't at the Air Canada Centre for Sunday's loss at Toronto. Carter took his physical Saturday and team officials are still going over it. "There is obviously a great deal of tenderness there," coach Lawrence Frank said to the Associated Press Sunday. "We've seen it during the examination. We're going to be prudent." Richard Jefferson scored a season-high 38 points Sunday and was one shy of his career high, set March 28, 2003 vs. the Knicks. G Jason Kidd, whose minutes have been limited to 20 due to his recovery from knee surgery played 30 minutes Sunday. He played 32 Friday in Memphis after he was on the bench during a big run by the Knicks last Tuesday ... The Nets allowed 79.3 points in four meetings with the Raptors last season but on Sunday, they gave up 110. F Brian Scalabrine scored a career-high 21 points Friday in Memphis.

NEW YORK KNICKS: The Knicks are two games over .500 for the second time this season and got there with a 94-93 win over the Jazz on Sunday. They have played a remarkable amount of close games, going 5-7 in games decided by six points or less. They are tied with Houston and Milwaukee for league lead in that category. G Jamal Crawford led the Knicks in scoring for the 11th time and admitted to reporters following the game he re-lived his missed pull-up jumper from Wednesday's loss to Detroit numerous times. "Honestly, the Detroit situation played in my head," Crawford said to reporters on Sunday. "I was like: 'Well, I'm not shooting a jumper. There's no way. I'm going to the hole.' You guys had enough to write about the next day." Crawford also had the Knicks' second four-point play of the season and 18th in team history. ... Point guard Stephon Marbury finished with 19 and 12 assists for his 10th double-double of the season. ... The Knicks are 11-4 this season when holding a lead at intermission. But four of their five losses in December have been the result of blowing halftime leads. ... F Michael Sweetney has made his last 20 free throws while Allan Houston has sank his last 19. ... Houston is still coming off the bench but questions about when he will start are starting to annoy coach Lenny Wilkens. ... On Friday, the Knicks rallied from 19 points down in a 113-107 overtime win at Philadelphia. It marked the third time they overcame a double-digit deficit this season and 10th time since Wilkens took over on January 16.

ORLANDO MAGIC: The Magic opened their schedule with 12 of their first 19 games against teams currently under .500 and compiled 13 wins. But they are now 1-4 in a stretch that has them playing six of seven against teams with a winning record. On Sunday, the Magic got their first look at the Heat with Shaquille O'Neal and collapsed down the stretch in a 117-107 loss. "We gave it away again," guard Steve Francis said to the Orlando Sentinel. "Of the 10 games we've lost, we gave eight of them away. That really burns me up. It wasn't like we turned the ball over a lot -- it was just in certain key situations." ...The Magic have scored 100 points or more in 11 of their last 14 games and 12-4 when not trailing through three quarters. ... Rookie F Dwight Howard scored seven points Sunday and has been held below double digits in four of his last six games. In one of the league's more positive stories, F Grant Hill's 552,328 votes for the All-Star game trail only Vince Carter, who has 619,959 through the most recently released numbers.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: The Sixers won three of their four games last week and rebounded from a six-game losing streak by winning four of their last five. The only loss was a 113-107 overtime loss to the Knicks in which they blew a 19-point lead. But they bounced back with a 116-97 win at Milwaukee. Allen Iverson scored 54 points on 17-of-29 shooting and became the 93rd player in league history to reach 15,000 points midway through the second quarter. "It means a lot on a personal level as far as my mom and my family and the people that helped me to get to this point, my wife," he said. "All of the coaches that I ever had had, my high school coach, my college coach, coach Brown, and all of the coaches I ever had. It is kind of like a tribute to those guys and to my teammates. In his last two games vs. the Bucks, who lost to the Sixers in the 2001 Eastern Conference finals, Iverson has scored 94 points. ... F Kenny Thomas, who has lost and then regained his starting job, scored a season-high 26 points in Friday's loss but sat out Saturday after complaining of back pain in warmups. ... G John Salmons did not travel due to bronchitis and asthma. ... In three games since returning from a seven-game absence with a sprained MCL in his left knee, forward Corliss Williamson has scored 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. ... F Kyle Korver missed all six of his 3-point attempts, Friday, ending his streak of 21 straight games with at least one 3-pointer. Had it continued it would have tied Dana Barros for the second-longest streak in team history.

TORONTO RAPTORS: The Vince Carter era finally ended Friday when the Raptors sent the disgruntled swingman to the Nets for Aaron Williams, Eric Williams, Alonzo Mourning and a pair of draft picks. In their first game since the deal, the Raptors defeated the Nets, 110-99 and immediately removed any evidence of the Carter era in several aspects of the game on and off the court. Carter's highlights were edited out of the pregame video and his mother and wife's seats were empty. But even without Carter on their roster a new report has leaked courtesy of the Tacoma News Tribune. The newspaper, which is based 30 miles south of Seattle reported that Carter tipped of a member of the Sonics on a play that was being ran. But several Raptors refuse to believe it happened. "I think that's a lie," guard Jalen Rose told the Canadian Press. "To be honest it's just so ironic that a statement like that happens to come out a day after the guy gets traded." Added forward Chris Bosh to the Canadian Press "Telling the other team a play, that's ridiculous. I refuse to believe that, how silly is that? "I don't think any player in the NBA would do that, give the other team any kind of advantage in a game-winning situation. That's not professional at all." As for the deal itself, neither Aaron or Eric williams suited up Sunday and Mourning may also never play for the Raptors. Mourning, who openly complained about being on a struggling Nets team, does not have to pass a physical and according to Monday's New York Post, has been offered a $9-10 million buyout agreement. ... The trade of Carter also reduced the price of his jersey from $229 to $92 at the Air Canada Centre.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS: The Wizards have opened their five-game road trip 1-1. They needed overtime to beat the Lakers in Los Angeles for the first time since February 1992, ending an 11-game road losing streak to the Lakers. The Wizards shot a season-best 51 percent and Larry Hughes and Gilbert Arenas combined for 70 points. Arenas, who grew up in the Los Angeles area, scored a season-high 37 while Hughes tied a season best with 33. Washington also committed a season-low six turnovers. The next night, the Wizards were unable to run with the Suns and were handed a 110-96 loss as Hughes and Arenas were held to a combined 38 points and Washington committed 20 turnovers. After this trip ends Sunday in Minnesota, the Wizards play eight of their next 10 at home. In an odd scheduling quirk, the Wizards are finished with the Heat. They went 0-4 against the Southeast Division leaders. ... Washington's surprising 13-9 start has gained them an extra national television appearance. On January 6, TNT will televise Washington's home game against the Seattle SuperSonics. It will be Washington's first national television game since April 16, 2003 and first at the MCI Center since April 2, 2003.