By Marty Gitlin
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

The return of a guard has strengthened one team. The loss of a guard has severely weakened another.

The Los Angeles Clippers welcomed back Sam Cassell Monday night. He scored 31 points off the bench in a 100-90 defeat of the Hornets in Oklahoma City.

Milwaukee, meanwhile, will be without leading scorer Michael Redd, who injured his left knee on a meaningless dunk with 14 seconds left in a 95-86 loss in Cleveland on Friday night. He is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

Cassell, who missed seven games with a left heel strain, took the first step in justifying his complaints about losing his starting spot to Shaun Livingston, who hit just 2 of 9 from the field against the Hornets.

Redd is the NBA’s fifth-leading scorer at 27.7 points a game. His Bucks missed him dearly in a 104-92 defeat in Denver Monday night. Forward Ruben Patterson, who scored a game-high 29 points, was the only Milwaukee starter in double figures.

The Bucks are also missing forward Charlie Villanueva (shoulder) and played the second half without talented guard Mo Williams, who sprained his shoulder just before halftime. He is listed day-to-day, but it’s the loss of Redd that really stunned the Bucks.

“We didn’t think it was serious at all,” Williams told the Associated Press. “We thought it was a couple of games maybe. A game or two, rest it. We didn’t think it was this serious.”

SHOWDOWN! SORT OF: First place in the Atlantic Division is at stake Tuesday night in New Jersey.

Which is like talking about the warmest spot on the North Pole.

WagerWeb.com lists Toronto as a 4-point underdog against the Nets. The first-place Raptors are still four games under .500.

Several factors, however, indicate Toronto has a decided edge. The Raptors have played four fewer games at home than on the road. The Nets have played 20 at home and just 13 away. Also, Toronto is now healthy. New Jersey must play without talented center Nenad Krstic the rest of the season.

Lastly, several offseason moves resulted in the Raptors taking a while to mesh. The continued development of top pick Andrea Bargnani and improving team chemistry could make Toronto the team to beat in the albeit pathetic Atlantic. Even New York (15-21) has a shot.

DRIBBLES: The Game of the Night in the NBA is Dallas at Utah. The Jazz have cooled off after a torrid start, but still own the best home record in the league at 14-2. The Mavericks had their 13-game winning streak snapped against the Lakers in Los Angeles on Sunday night, but are 1-point favorites against Utah, according to WagerWeb.com. … The streaky Chicago Bulls are going in reverse again. They have lost three of four, including an 84-77 home defeat Monday night to Houston. Starting guards Kirk Hinrich and Chris Duhon combined to shoot 1 of 14 from the field and score two points in 58 minutes against the Rockets. … Dallas and Utah aren’t the only Western Conference powers in action Tuesday night. WagerWeb.com lists Phoenix as a 14.5-point favorite against visiting Seattle, San Antonio a 12-point favorite against visiting Portland, and the Lakers 2.5-point favorites in Memphis.


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