Los Angeles  - The Cleveland Cavaliers, looking to beef up their front court for the playoff push, will sign recently-released veteran forward Joe Smith on Wednesday.

"After careful consideration of his options, Joe has decided that the Cavs are the best fit," Smith's agent, Dan Fegan, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Smith was released by the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the 14-year veteran must wait to clear waivers before signing what is believed to be a one-year contract.

Los Angeles  - The "Big Shaqtus" is back, sticking it to his opponents again.

Shaquille O'Neal scored 33 points against his former team, and the Phoenix Suns withstood a 49-point effort by Kobe Bryant to burn the weary Los Angeles Lakers 118-111 on Sunday.

O'Neal followed up his season-high 45-point performance Friday against Toronto by hitting 13-of-18 field goals en route to his first back-to-back 30-point games since March 2004

"A lot of people are saying Shaq is back, but I never went anywhere, said O'Neal, who turns 37 on Friday. "The only time I'm not playing well is when I'm injured. When I'm fresh I can put up numbers.

Los Angeles  - Newly-acquired Stephon Marbury went back to work and it worked out well.

Sharpshooting Ray Allen scored 30 points, and Marbury had eight, along with two assists off the bench in his Boston Celtics' debut Friday night, helping the reigning NBA Champions edge the visiting Indiana Pacers 104-99.

The Celtics signed Marbury earlier in the day after the two-time All-Star cleared waivers following a contract buyout agreement with the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

Los Angeles - A playful octopus managed to disassemble a valve in her enclosure and flood a California aquarium with 760 litres of seawater, it was reported Friday.

The two-spotted, tiny octopus at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium apparently swam to the top of her enclosure and took apart the valve of the recycling system.

"It grabbed the tube that pulls out the water and caused it to spray outside the tank," the aquarium's education specialist Nick Fash told the Los Angeles Times.

Los Angeles  - The Chicago Bulls on Thursday experienced one of the saddest days in their 43-year-old history, with the deaths of former greats Johnny "Red" Kerr and Norm Van Lear.

Kerr, the legendary Bulls broadcaster, died of prostrate cancer at the age of 76.

"The entire Bulls organization is deeply saddened by the passing of Johnny "Red" Kerr," Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement.

"Johnny spent his entire life around the great game of basketball. His name was synonymous with basketball, both here in Chicago, and throughout the entire NBA.

Los Angeles  - The Houston Rockets had no problems passing their latest test against one of the league's best.

Yao Ming scored 28 points on 13-of-15 shooting, and the Rockets held the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers to a season-low point total en route to 93-74 victory on Thursday night.

"It is a big win," the Chinese superstar centre said. "We played against one of the best quality teams in this league. They have one of the top records and their quality is almost like playoffs. So, it is a really good test for us to see how far we can go."

Led by the 7-foot-6, Yao and a stellar defensive effort, the Rockets roared to their season-high sixth straight victory and ninth in a row at home.