THREE POINTS

HURTING ALL OVER

Injuries have hit hard this season for some of the NBA’s standouts and their teams.

Defending champion Miami is 15-18 during Shaquille O’Neal’s absence and 0-7 with O’Neal and Dwyane Wade sidelined.

Milwaukee, on a six-game winning streak with Michael Redd, is 1-5 without him. Memphis’ season was virtually ruined by a 5-17 start without Pau Gasol, New Orleans has gone 5-7 without Chris Paul and Boston is 4-13 without Paul Pierce.

Curiously, Houston is only 2-6 without Tracy McGrady but 9-5 without Yao Ming. The Rockets are 1-9 without both.

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LINING THEM UP

The Heat’s Wade went to the free-throw line so often in a 119-110 victory at Utah on Jan. 13 that Jazz fans cheered loudly when Coach Jerry Sloan received a late technical foul when Wade earned yet another trip to the line.

Wade, who made 21 of 23 free throws at Utah and averaged 16 attempts on a six-game trip, leads the league at 11.1 attempts a game.

Denver’s Allen Iverson (10.3) is second, Boston’s Pierce (9.4) is third, Washington’s Gilbert Arenas (9.1) is fourth, the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant (9.0) is fifth and Milwaukee’s Redd (8.7) is sixth.

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HOT AND HOTTER

The beat goes on in Dallas and Phoenix.

The Mavericks, who own 12- and 13-game winning streaks, are 8-0 in the second games of back-to-back situations and 33-4 since an 0-4 start.

The Suns, on a 12-game win streak after an early 15-game run, are winning by an average of 13 points during a 10-0 January and are 30-4 since a 1-4 start.

-- PAUL NETTER