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Dallas Mavericks: That three-game suspension for a flagrant foul may have seemed easy compared to what's up next for Danny Fortson with the Lakers and Shaquille O'Neal coming to town. "I guess I better be ready, right?" Fortson said in the Dallas Morning News. "It's not like I'm coming back in against some soft [guy]. I'm coming back against the biggest monster there is in the NBA, and I got to go out there and fight him. That's what I'm getting paid to do. I'm just looking forward to being part of the team again and not feeling like a prisoner." And it doesn't sound like that suspension changed anything, anyway. "The big guys, we're starting to take a lot of pride in [not letting] people come down there and push us around," Fortson said. "We all know that's not the way it's supposed to be. You're supposed to let them know it's not going to be an easy night."

Denver Nuggets: There is, at least, on problem with the Nuggets winning all of these games. "I want to get minutes," said Nikoloz Tskitishvili, the second-year forward who hasn't played in four consecutive contests, in the Rocky Mountain News. "It's frustrating. I'm in the best shape that I've ever been. But I'm not going to say anything because we're winning." And while he may have been the No. 5 pick in the draft last year, the Nuggets are all about winning these days. "It's not so much what he hasn't done as it is that Marcus (Camby), Chris Andersen, Francisco (Elson) and Nene are playing well," Nuggets coach Jeff Bzdelik said. "He's got a lot of guys ahead of him right now. I need to find some time to play him so he can develop without compromising anything. We're kind of on a roll."

New Jersey Nets: Jason Kidd wants to make it very clear of what he feels about Wednesday night's refereeing crew. "Nothing surprises me with that crew," Kidd said sarcastically of the officiating team of Mike Callahan, Violet Palmer and Gary Zielinski in the Newark Star Ledger. "That crew was that crew. They were great. ... We have a game (tomorrow) night against Milwaukee ... and hopefully that (officiating) crew is better than tonight's crew. ... Unfortunately that crew missed a good game. It was a good game to that point. That won't get me a fine either. I haven't said anything. I haven't pointed anybody out. They did a great job." Kidd believed he was fouled on a potential game-winning bucket with seconds remaining in a game against the Grizzlies. When no whistle sounded, Kidd openly berated Callahan well into the tunnel following the final buzzer. The Nets have now lost four in a row and fallen to 7-11.

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