Magic hand Hawks loss

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Vince Carter was 9 of 10 from the field and scored 26 points to lead the Orlando Magic to a 123-86 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night to cap the NBA's only unbeaten preseason.

The Magic (8-0) won their exhibition games by an average of 18 points.

Carter, acquired in an off-season trade with New Jersey, made all five of his 3-point attempts.

Dwight Howard, the NBA's reigning defensive player of the year, had 25 points and 13 rebounds for Orlando.

Jamal Crawford had 14 points for the Hawks (5-2).

ECONOMIC IMPACT: The still-scuffling U.S. economy might keep some NBA teams from starting the season with a full, 15-player roster, according to a survey of all 30 teams by The Associated Press.

With the season opening next week and final rosters due on Monday, the survey found that nearly half the league plans to start with 15 players. But others will carry the minimum 13 or leave one spot empty.

FURTHER REVIEW: Stu Jackson , the league's executive vice president of basketball operations, said recent media reports that the traveling rule had been changed to allow an extra step after the dribble were not true.

"We have not changed the traveling rule, nor how we enforce the rule," Jackson said Friday during the league's annual preseason conference call.

GRIZZLIES : For the first time in his career, Allen Iverson vows to take the advice of others instead of listening to his body.

That means the 10-time All-Star could miss Memphis' season opener Wednesday night against his former team, Detroit, as he recovers from a partly torn left hamstring.

WIZARDS: Antawn Jamison 's ailing shoulder will keep him off the court well into the regular season. The team said he's likely to miss the first eight to 13 games.

BULLS: Held out Derrick Rose for their preseason finale against Washington because of a nagging ankle injury.

Thunder: Exercised fourth-year contract options on Kevin Durant and Jeff Green .

ROCKETS: Waived guard Brent Barry , a move that trims their roster to the required 15 players.

Associated Press

The still-scuffling U.S. economy might keep some NBA teams from starting the season with a full, 15-player roster, according to a survey of all 30 franchises by The Associated Press.

With the season opening next week and final rosters due on Monday, the survey found that nearly half the league plans to start with 15 players. But others will carry the minimum 13 or leave one spot empty.

Chief among the reasons was flexibility -- having an available spot or two to keep options open for trades or injuries in the long, 82-game season. No teams outright said their decision would be driven by the economy, but the bottom line is clearly an issue.

"NBA teams are businesses like every other in this country," Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wrote in an e-mail to AP. "Times are tough and I expect many if not most teams to carry fewer than 15 players on their rosters."

NBA teams are allowed to carry 12 active and three inactive players. Not filling all 15 slots would not leave a team at less than full strength for games, though it might leave it short-handed for practices.

Wizards: Antawn Jamison's ailing shoulder will keep him off the court well into the regular season.

Washington announced an estimated recovery time for Jamison's injury Friday, saying he's likely to miss the first eight to 13 games.

The two-time All-Star forward partially dislocated his shoulder trying to block a shot in an exhibition game against Cleveland on Oct. 14. The Wizards originally ruled him out for the rest of the preseason until the injury could be re-evaluated this week.

Thunder: Exercised fourth-year contract options on Kevin Durant and Jeff Green.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti said on Friday that the team also exercised third-year options on guard Russell Westbrook and forward D.J. White.

The franchise drafted Durant and Green in 2007 and Westbrook and White in 2008. NBA rookies get two-year contracts with teams having the option to pick up a third and fourth season.

With the team exercising its option on the players, all four are now under contract with the Thunder through the 2010-11 season.