PLAY OF THE DAY

SHOOTING STUDS

Gilbert Arenas, Wizards
116-98 win at Warriors
40 pts, 12-22 FG,
7-13 3-pt FG, 9-9 FT

Nenad Krstic, Nets
110-72 win vs. Suns
21 pts, 7-11 FG, 7-9 FT

Antawn Jamison, Wizards
116-98 win at Warriors
31 pts, 11-23 FG, 7-7 FT

SHOOTING DUDS

Leandro Barbosa, Suns
110-72 loss at Nets
3-16 FG, 13 pts

Jamaal Tinsley, Pacers
96-91 loss at Heat
4-17 FG, 0-4 3-pt FG, 10 pts

A. Stoudemire & T. Thomas, Suns
110-72 loss at Nets
0-12 FG, 0-2 3-pt FG, 0 pts

STAT SHEET STUFFER

Gilbert Arenas gave the Warriors a glimpse of what could've been when he dropped 40 points and 10 assists in the Wizards' 116-98 victory in Oakland. Arenas shot 12-of-22 from the field, 7-of-13 from behind the arc and a perfect 9-of-9 from the foul line in his ninth 40-point performance of the season. Arenas was drafted by the Warriors in the second round in 2001 and spent two seasons with Golden State before signing with Washington as a free agent on Aug. 8, 2003. Think Arenas enjoys facing his former team? In two meetings this season against the Warriors, Arenas has 85 points and 17 assists.

RICK KAMLA'S FANTASY TAKE

"I must admit, I was thrown for a loop when I saw Jeff Foster play 13 minutes off the bench on Monday. What's up with that? Dude has been on a rebounding rampage of late and he comes off the bench behind Scot Pollard? Give Foster one more game, see if this was a one-game aberration, and cut him if the same thing happens on Wednesday."

D-LEAGUE STAR OF THE NIGHT

There were no games scheduled for Monday, but Anthony Grundy, named to the All-NBA Development League First Team, became the latest D-League player to make the jump to the NBA. Grundy was signed to a 10-day contract by the Hawks after he spent this year's training camp and preseason with Atlanta. Grundy joining the NBA comes as no surprise since the 6-foot-3 guard was among the D-League leaders in virtually every offensive category during his time with the Roanoke Dazzle. Will Bynum, Grundy's Roanoke teammate, also received some good news on Monday when he was signed to a second 10-day contract by Golden State.

GAME OF THE NIGHT

Playoff basketball is tough, often physical, and sometimes not so pretty. Although the postseason is still a month away, the Pacers and Heat decided to get a head start. With 5:25 remaining in the first half, Udonis Haslem became entangled with Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal and the two exchanged heated words. Both received technicals, but only Haslem was ejected because he also was whistled for an offensive foul. His excessive arguing brought a second technical and an early exit. When the teams got back to playing basketball, Miami erased a 14-point third-quarter deficit behind the play of Jason Williams and Shaquille O'Neal. Williams and O'Neal scored 11 apiece in the third period and the teams entered the fourth tied at 71. Dwyane Wade scored nine of his 22 points in the final quarter and the Heat came away with a 96-91 win, reducing their magic number for clinching the Southeast Divisiion to three. "Teams are going to start becoming nastier and more competitive and they want it, and they are getting ready to start the playoffs," Heat coach Pat Riley said. "That's just the way it is. When they happen you have to walk away from it and play at a higher level."

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT

"(Haslem) needs to shut his mouth. I don't think I did anything wrong. He had my arm, he tried to pin my arm back. I don't know when he became tough, but all of a sudden he's tough. It's in his best interest to concentrate on getting the rebound and being quiet. I'm not the right person for that to be honest. He can call me, he knows where I am."

-- Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal, who exchanged heated words with Miami's Udonis Haslem in the second quarter of the Heat's 96-91 win.

STORYLINES OF THE NIGHT

1. Rising From The Swamp
When potential NBA champions are brought up, Detroit, San Antonio, Dallas and Phoenix are usually the teams mentioned. Very rarely are the New Jersey Nets part of that conversation. Judging by their recent play, maybe they should be. The Nets hammered the high-powered Suns 110-72 for their ninth straight win, one day after they handed the league-leading Pistons only their third home loss of the season. Their latest victory reduced the Nets' magic number for clinching the Atlantic Division to five. Clearly, New Jersey caught Phoenix on an off night as the Suns opened a five-game road trip, but strong defense has become the norm lately for Lawrence Frank's bunch. In their last three games, New Jersey has limited the opposition to 33 percent (84-of-255) from the field, including 23 percent (11-of-48) from 3-point range. The Nets have allowed 85 points or fewer seven times during their current win streak. "We're fighting every day to be consistent," Jason Kidd said. "Going on the road and beating the next team in the league, and coming home and beating another great team, it was a carry over of the emotion and us coming together as a team."

2. Smooth Jazz Trio
The Jazz have been an inconsistent team all season, and even the return of Carlos Boozer on Feb. 10 hasn't been enough to get them into the top eight spots in the Western Conference. But despite their 9-12 mark since Boozer came back, the Jazz are just two games behind Sacramento for the final playoff berth in the West with 13 games remaining. If Utah is going to return to the postseason after a two-year absence, the trio of Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur will have to get them there. Boozer led all five starters in double figures with 21 points, and had eight boards and five assists in Utah's 104-80 rout of New Orleans/Oklahoma City. After a slow start, Boozer is averaging 23.2 points in his last seven games. Kirilenko, who had his second triple-double of the season Saturday against the Kings, has been one of the league's most versatile players all season, averaging 15.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Okur, meanwhile, leads the team in scoring (17.7) and rebounding (9.2).

COOL/CLUTCH PERFORMANCE

The Heat had lost 14 of their last 15 regular-season meetings with the Pacers, and that trend didn't appear to be ending as Indiana opened a 14-point lead in the third quarter. That was before Jason Wiliams and Shaquille O'Neal went to work. Williams scored 11 of his 18 points in the third period, shooting 5-of-7 from the floor as Miami forged a 71-71 tie entering the fourth. Dwyane Wade's third three-point play of the game with 3:50 left gave the Heat an 86-83 lead, and Shaq sealed the 96-91win by scoring the Heat's next five points in the final two minutes. O'Neal, shooting 46 percent from the foul line this season, sank 8-of-11 from the stripe in the second half. "I'm not worried (about them)," O'Neal said. "When I have to make them, (I make them)."

ROOKIE WATCH

Deron Williams was drafted third by Utah on June 28, one spot before New Orleans/Oklahoma City tabbed Chris Paul. Through most of this season, that looked like a mistake since Paul is virtually a lock to win Rookie of the Year and Williams hasn't had quite the same impact. Well, Williams went head-to-head with Paul on Monday and came out the clear winner as the Jazz coasted to a 104-80 win over the struggling Hornets. Williams scored 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting and added six rebounds and five assists, while Paul was held to 11 points on 3-of-7 from the field. The most encouraging sign for Utah is Williams' steady improvement. After averaging 7.1 points in January, he upped that to 8.9 in February, and is scoring 13.3 per contest this month.

LOCKDOWN OF THE NIGHT

Jason Kidd only played 27 minutes in New Jersey's easy win over the Suns, but he certainly made an impact. Besides contributing nine points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, J-Kidd helped make the night a very rough one for reigning MVP Steve Nash. Nash, Kidd's former backup in Phoenix, was held scoreless and missed all five of his shots. It was the first time Nash was held without a point since Feb. 1, 2003 with Dallas. "I wouldn't say I was on, but I give Jason Kidd a lot of credit," Nash said. "He played outstanding defense on me." Kidd has held the two best point guards in the NBA this season, Nash and Chauncey Billups, to nine points on 2-of-15 from the field and only 10 assists in his last two games.