Magic's Pietrus out for 3 to 5 weeks

Guard has torn ligament in right thumb

Orlando Magic guard Mickael Pietrus will be out three to five weeks because of a torn ligament in his right thumb.

Pietrus averages nearly 13 points and is one of the Magic's main 3-point shooters.

He hurt his thumb against Philadelphia last week. Pietrus played with the injury against the Wizards on Thursday but an MRI exam revealed the damage Friday.

The injury leaves an already thin Magic backcourt even thinner, which could mean more playing time for former Duke standout J.J. Redick.

The Magic is already missing backup guard Keith Bogans because of a broken thumb, and starting point guard Jameer Nelson is nursing a pulled groin.

McGRADY, BARRY SIT OUT: Houston guard Tracy McGrady missed the Rockets' game Saturday night against San Antonio because of a sore left knee.

McGrady also sat out Wednesday night against Indiana, and will miss the Rockets' game today in Denver. He played Houston's first 15 games, but said before training camp that his knee hurt and needed time to heal after arthroscopic surgery in May.

The Rockets said McGrady will consult with doctors on Monday, seeking treatment options. The seven-time All-Star is averaging 15.6 points.

Houston guard Brent Barry also missed the game and will be out again today in Denver. He has a strained right calf.

WARRIORS' JACKSON MISSES GAME: Golden State scoring leader Stephen Jackson missed the Warriors' game against New York on Saturday night because of a sprained left wrist.

Jackson was hurt sometime during the Warriors' five-game trip and aggravated the injury in a 112-97 loss at Cleveland on Friday night.

Marco Belinelli got his first start of the season in place of Jackson.

Jackson averaged 21.4 points in Golden State's first 16 games.

A TRADE NOT MADE WORKS OUT: Kobe Bryant's desire to acquire Jason Kidd -- and Los Angeles' refusal to part with Andrew Bynum to do so -- nearly ripped the Lakers apart two summers ago.

Now, the Lakers are the defending Western Conference champion and have the league's best record at 13-1. The player the Lakers refused to trade for Kidd (then with New Jersey) starts at center. He had 14 points and eight rebounds for L.A. in the first half of a 114-107 victory over the Mavericks on Friday.

"Bynum is a very good player," said Kidd, a Dallas guard. "He's young. He's going to be in this league for a long time. Kobe must like the way he's playing now."

KNICKS SHORT-HANDED: When the door swung open to the Knicks' practice court on Friday, the scene on the floor was somewhere between surreal and comical. Nearly half the players on the court were over 40 and graying.

The Knicks were still missing Eddy Curry, Jared Jeffries, Nate Robinson, Cuttino Mobley and Danilo Gallinari. Chris Duhon was resting a sore back. Tim Thomas had gone home, with the team's permission. So the empty spots on the court were filled by the coaching staff -- Dan D'Antoni, Kenny Atkinson, Herb Williams and Phil Weber -- and the recently retired Allan Houston, who works in the front office.

"They didn't look too good, either," coach Mike D'Antoni said.