O'Neal wiser after return to lineup
Doug Smith  
Jermaine O'Neal was back on the basketball court last night, feeling healthier than he has in almost two weeks.

Jermaine O'Neal to play tonight
Doug Smith  
DENVER — Sitting with his left ankle immersed in a bucket of ice, Jermaine O'Neal summoned over the reporters hovering nearby as the Raptors wound up their game-day shootaround at the Pepsi Center here this morning.

Calderon brings sandpaper to mix
Doug Smith  
Jose Calderon has a bit of an edge to him – it's been seen in snippets since he arrived in Toronto but seldom to the point it did in Sunday's game against the Lakers. Teammates, coaches and fans had to be glad to see it.

Knicks order Marbury to stay away from team
Brian Mahoney  
Stephon Marbury was ordered to stay away from the New York Knicks yesterday while the team looks for a solution to the latest controversy surrounding its point guard.

Lakers run over Raptors
Doug Smith  
Maybe they can get away with atrocious transition defence against the weakest of NBA teams, but good clubs are going to bury the Raptors. As the Lakers did here last night in a 112-99 win over Toronto.

Marbury ordered to stay away from Knicks
Stephon Marbury did not get the divorce he wants, but he and the New York Knicks agreed to a separation.

Luxury living means little if Raptors lose
Dave Feschuk  
Raptors coach Sam Mitchell, in describing a three-game Western road trip that begins tonight against the L.A. Lakers, used the word "brutal."

Kapono steps up his game
Doug Smith  
About the only thing Jason Kapono does more quickly than get off a jump shot is get out of a locker room before the media hordes descend, but even he couldn't escape the spotlight last night.

Knicks suspend and fine Marbury
The New York Knicks needed Stephon Marbury to play, then suspended him a game and docked him nearly $400,000 (all figures U.S.) in salary yesterday after claiming he refused.

Bosh won't be blinded by lights of Broadway
Dave Feschuk  
You know it's been a strange opening month of the NBA season when the hands-down voice of reason is Charles Barkley, basketball's premier provocateur. But in a November in which so much of the talk's been about ...

Raptors hoping to soar with Hawks
Doug Smith  
It was the first truly disheartening loss of the season for the Raptors, a 110-92 pasting by the Hawks in Atlanta three weeks ago that exposed several Toronto flaws.

Raptors reporter Doug Smith wins Star award
Cathal Kelly  
Toronto Raptors beat writer Doug Smith was today awarded the Mary Deanne Shears Award, which recognizes reporting excellence at the Star.

Shaq gets ready for Heat with something to ...
Shawn Marion was a fan favourite in Phoenix for many years, a stalwart of the run-and-gun Suns teams that were perennial playoff contenders.

Turkey over team for A.I.
Allen Iverson apparently chose family and food over practice yesterday, and he'll be fined for it.

Chris Bosh rocks the house
Doug Smith  
When asked to comment on the latest great game from his team's best player, Sam Mitchell couldn't really get out the words. "I don't even know what to say," was how the coach summed up his feelings about Chris ...

It's always a battle for this Raptors team
Dave Feschuk  
At the risk of pouring cold water on Joey Graham’s 4th Annual Good Game, let’s analyze a moment from last night’s win over the Bobcats that typifies what ails Toronto’s .500 hoopsters.

O'Neal braced for knee injury, not ankle ...
Dave Feschuk  
If you've seen Jermaine O'Neal play this season, you've seen the Raptor fidgeting with his knee brace.