(Sports Network) - Haywood Nelson, aka Dwayne Nelson in the 1980s sitcom What's Happening, got the party started every time with his patented introduction 'Hey, Hey, Hey'.

Miami Heat superstar guard and NBA leading scorer Dwyane Wade makes the crowd and his colleagues react the same way on the hardwood with his fresh style and all-out mentality. Nelson was a shy individual and often spit out random dumbfounded thoughts, characteristics one would hardly see from Wade unless he is doing a cell phone ad with buddy Sir Charles Barkley.

The injuries have finally ceased for the All-Star Wade, who is averaging a league-high 28.2 points per game this season. Wade is scoring at a 30.3 ppg clip over his previous six contests, including a season-high 43-point performance in a win at Phoenix on Friday. He then recorded a team-best 26 points and tied a season high with 11 assists in a tough loss to the Los Angeles Clippers the following night.

Wade eclipsed the 8,000-point mark in his career against the Clippers and is also shooting a career-high 49.7 percent from the field in 2008-09. He has at least one steal in 16 consecutive games and posted three in LA.

The Heat (8-9) are 1-2 so far on a five-game road trip and 3-6 away from South Beach this season. Center Joel Anthony has started the last two games and Udonis Haslem has moved back to forward, leaving rookie phenom Michael Beasley coming off the bench. Beasley has been a reserve the past two games after starting the first 15 games of the season, and netted 24 points against the Clippers. It was the most points scored by a Miami reserve since Jason Kapono netted 27 points on December 23, 2006 versus Golden State.

VAN GUNDY'S GUYS DOING MAGICAL THINGS

He resembles adult film legend Ron Jeremy to a tee and currently has the Orlando Magic on the rise in the Eastern Conference.

Stan Van Gundy may look like the aforementioned movie stud, but by no means does he possess the body of a basketball genius. However, Van Gundy is as wise as the old owl when it comes to hoops and schemes, as evidenced by his 52-30 record with the club. The Southeast Division-leading Magic are off to a hot start at 13-4 and have won four straight and nine of their last 10 games.

Orlando improved to 10-1 versus the Eastern Conference with a 110-96 victory over the Indiana Pacers over the weekend, and is 4-0 against teams from the Central, 3-0 versus Atlantic Division foes and 3-1 within the Southeast. The Magic will face a true test Monday night up in Boston, where they will take on the defending champion Celtics at TD Banknorth Garden.

The Magic will play six of the next eight games on the road and own a 6-1 mark as the visitor this season. They have won six straight away from Amway Arena.

All-Star center and Olympic gold medalist Dwight Howard leads the league in blocked shots and rebounding, and is tops on Orlando in points (21.8) and boards (13.9). The chiseled youngster has 13 double-doubles this season and has scored in double figures on 16 occasions.

Howard had season highs in points (32) and rebounds (21) in Saturday's win over the Pacers. Meanwhile, guard Anthony Johnson started his third straight game against Indiana in place of injured starter Jameer Nelson and recorded a season-high 16 points. Nelson is expected to miss the next week of action because of a hip flexor.

YOUNG HAWKS AWAITING RETURN OF J-SMOOVE

The anticipated return of Josh Smith to the Atlanta Hawks is expected to take place this week versus the Memphis Grizzlies, who heavily courted the high- flyer over the summer.

Atlanta (10-6) matched the offer sheet in August in order to keep the slick- scoring, defensive-minded star on its roster. An ankle injury, though, has sidelined Smith the past 12 games and the Hawks are 6-6 over that span after going 4-0 with him in the lineup. Smith went down November 7 versus Toronto.

Head coach Mike Woodson certainly misses Smith's athleticism and strong defensive play, but will finally have his prayers answered this week. Smith is approaching an NBA milestone and needs four more blocks to become the youngest player in league history to post 800 career blocked shots. With 796 swats, the 22-year-old Smith is on pace to break Shaquille O'Neal's mark set when he was only 24 years and nine days of age. Smith, who is averaging 12.0 points and 8.0 boards in 2008-09, will turn 23 on December 5.

Luckily for Woodson, he has Marvin Williams, Mike Bibby, Joe Johnson and Al Horford to pick up the slack. Johnson leads the team in points (22.7), assists (5.4), free throw percentage (85.4) and steals (1.4), while Horford is tops in rebounds (8.3), field goal percentage (50.4) and blocks (1.7).

The Hawks have won four of six games and will open a short two-game homestand Wednesday versus Memphis and New York. They are 5-1 at Philips Arena this season and will play 10 of the next 14 games as the host. Atlanta will soon kick off an eight-game residency from December 12 - 29.

JAMISON GOING DOWN SMOOTH IN WASHINGTON

Washington Wizards interim head coach Ed Tapscott was thrust into a rough scenario when Eddie Jordan was fired, and is doing the best with what he has to work with.

One player who needs no special attention from Tapscott is forward Antawn Jamison. Jamison has posted eight straight double-doubles and owns 10 through the first 14 games of the 2008-09 campaign. The former UNC star, who posted a career-best 44 double-doubles a year ago, is the first Washington player to record eight double-doubles in a row since he did it last season.

Jamison is trying to post nine straight double-doubles for the first time since Chris Webber did so back in 1997. Jamison's 10 double-doubles this season are two ahead of last season's pace through the first 14 contests.

Jamison is currently eighth in scoring (20.8) and first in double-doubles (10) among all NBA forwards.

Washington (2-12) is barely getting by with just Jamison and Caron Butler, who leads the team in scoring (21.6 ppg), assists (3.9), three-point percentage (36.8) and steals (2.0). Jamison is tops on the Wizards with 9.7 rebounds per game and a 48.9 free throw percentage.

The Wizards have lost two straight and seven of eight, and fell to 0-11 versus the Eastern Conference after a 102-98 loss to Atlanta on Saturday. They will hit the road to New Jersey on Tuesday and are 0-6 as the visitor this season.

AUGUSTIN GETTING MORE TIME IN CHARLOTTE

It's never a good thing for a player to be in head coach Larry Brown's doghouse, but the sky's the limit on the other side of the coin.

Charlotte Bobcats rookie guard D.J. Augustin seems to be in good favor with the bespectacled general and has watched his minutes increase drastically over the past seven games. Augustin started to get more playing time in a November 18 game versus Dallas and logged 36:01 of action that day. Since then, the former Texas standout has played no less than 31:20 per contest.

He is averaging 18.1 points on .462 shooting from the field and 5.4 assists over the past seven games, and made his first-career start on November 21 at the Hawks. Augustin registered his first double-double with 25 points and 11 assists versus Philadelphia on November 24. He is currently second among rookies in free-throw percentage (.902), third in assists (4.3), fourth in scoring (12.9) and fifth in minutes played (29.4).

Augustin has started four games in 2008-09 and is averaging 12.9 points and 4.3 assists overall.

Meanwhile, Bobcats star guard Jason Richardson is averaging 21.5 points on .441 shooting over his last two games after missing seven in a row because of right knee surgery.

Charlotte has lost two of three and six of its last eight games, and will resume a three-game homestand Monday versus Minnesota. The Bobcats, who are 4-7 at home, lost the opener to Boston on Saturday and will also host the expansion Oklahoma City Thunder at Time Warner Cable Arena.