NBA Sunday

Game of the week

Orlando at Atlanta

While the turkey, potatoes, stuffing and pumpkin pie are digesting for many, the Magic will be facing the Hawks in a Thanksgiving evening TNT battle. The defending Eastern Conference champs will get a tough test against their Southeast Division rivals in Georgia.

Manu Ginobili swatting down a wayward bat on Halloween is one thing. But who saw this coming ?

The San Antonio Spurs emerged from the offseason with some big additions, refreshed and a favorite to seriously contend for a fifth NBA championship. Instead, they are 4-6 and off to their worst start through 10 games since 1996.

"It's crazy," Spurs newcomer Antonio McDyess said.

Unprecedented is more like it.

Never in the Tim Duncan era had the Spurs carried a losing record at the 10-game mark until the Utah Jazz — which hadn't won a regular-season game in San Antonio since 1999 — finally beat the Spurs on their home court 90-83 on Thursday night. ...

Thursday marked the fifth anniversary of the infamous Palace Brawl between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers. A hard foul, a confrontation between the Pistons' Ben Wallace and the Pacers' Ron Artest and a thrown cup of beer from a fan escalated into a full-scale melee on national TV. Nine players were suspended a total of 146 games, losing around $10 million in salary.

The Detroit Free Press looked at the players, their punishment and where they are now:

Pacers forward Ron Artest: Suspended for the remainder of the season (73 regular-season games, 13 playoff games). Signed with the Lakers as a free agent from the Rockets in this past off-season.

Pacers forward Stephen Jackson: Suspended 30 games. Traded Monday from the Warriors to the Bobcats.

Pacers center Jermaine O'Neal: Suspended 15 games. Currently starting center for the Heat.

Pistons center Ben Wallace: Suspended six games. Re-signed with the Pistons in the off-season from the Cavaliers.

Pacers guard Anthony Johnson: Suspended five games. Backup point guard for the Magic.

Pacers guard Reggie Miller: Suspended one game for leaving the bench. Retired, he is an analyst for TNT.

Pistons guard Chauncey Billups: Suspended one game for leaving the bench. Traded last season, currently an all-star for the Nuggets.