PLAY OF THE DAY

SHOOTING STUDS

Michael Redd, Bucks
96-89 win vs. Pacers
39 pts, 16-29 FG,
5-9 3-pt FG, 2-3 FT

LeBron James, Cavs
106-99 win vs. Heat
47 pts, 16-25 FG, 2-6 3-pt FG, 13-14 FT

Antawn Jamison, Wizards
106-99 loss at Spurs
26 pts, 11-19 FG, 4-7 3-pt FG

SHOOTING DUDS

Paul Pierce, Celtics
100-94 loss at Bulls
4-17 FG, 0-4 3-pt FG, 18 pts

Juan Dixon, Blazers
102-89 loss vs. Jazz
2-12 FG, 1-4 3-pt FG, 6 pts

Antoine Walker, Heat
106-99 loss at Cavs
2-10 FG, 0-3 3-pt. FG, 7 pts

STAT SHEET STUFFER

LeBron James entered his third NBA season with four triple-doubles on his resume. He has already surpassed that mark this season alone and recorded his sixth of the campaign in Saturday's 106-99 victory over Miami in Cleveland. James' 47 points, 10 assists, 12 boards and two steals narrowly edged out Dwyane Wade for the best line of the day.

RICK KAMLA'S FANTASY TAKE

"Well, with T.J. Ford back in the starting lineup for the Bucks, the Fantasy world can officially forget about the point guard position in Milwaukee. Ford, Charlie Bell and Mo Williams all played 24 minutes, and that limited clock obviously makes it real tough to rock Fantasy leagues."

D-LEAGUE STAR OF THE NIGHT

Tierre Brown has had four stints with four different NBA teams and the veteran guard flashed some of his versatility on Saturday night. He delivered an impressive triple-double with 24 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds for Albuquerque in a 103-88 win over Fayetteville. It was one of two triple-doubles in the D-League as Will Conroy tallied 12 points, 12 assists and 10 boards for Tulsa in a win over Roanoke.

SIXTH MAN OF THE NIGHT

After earning Sixth Man of the Year honors as a rookie last year, Chicago's Ben Gordon moved into the starting lineup for 41 games this season but has lately reprised his role as a super-sub. The 6-foot-3 guard provided a spark Saturday with 14 points and was a perfect 3-of-3 from behind the arc in a much-needed 100-94 win over Boston.

GAME OF THE NIGHT

Rivalries have always defined the league whether it be Bill Russell vs. Wilt Chamberlain or Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. And if Saturday is any indication, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade will forge the league's next great one. The two players, selected four picks apart at the top of the 2003 draft, staged an epic battle Saturday in Cleveland. Both teams entered having already secured playoff berths, but that didn't take any intensity away from the showdown. The two had already forged a rivalry in the past, but with Shaquille O'Neal on the Heat sideline for the second straight game with a hyperextended left knee, Wade and James took center stage and left nobody disappointed. The duo combined for 52 points over the first three quarters, but that just served as an appetizer for a final period in which they went head-to-head in a back-and-forth battle. Wade outscored James 21-18 in the fourth quarter, but it was LeBron's Cavaliers that pulled out the 106-99 win. "Wow, you call that an instant classic," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "It's two great players taking over the game for both teams. What a show. I'm happy we won, but I enjoyed watching two great players go back and forth." Whether it be a vast array of jumpers, or dazzling drives to the rim, it seemed that each star had an answer for the other. James put the Cavs on top for good with 1:13 to go on a slam and pushed the lead to four when he grabbed an offensive rebound and found Donyell Marshall for a jam. King James finished with 47 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists for his sixth triple-double of the season. Wade scored 44 to establish the single-season scoring record for the Heat, who clinched the Southeast Division title when Washington lost Friday. "One-on-one matchup, it's probably the best matchup I've been in," Wade said. "Two guys going back and forth, doing what they can do to help their team win, whether it's rebounding or passing, diving on the floor, whatever it takes to win. And this ranks up there as the best one so far."

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT

"People got a view of absolute greatness. It's absolutely beyond description. I haven't seen players do that in a long, long time."

--Heat coach Pat Riley on the performance's of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in Cleveland's 106-99 win.

STORYLINES OF THE NIGHT

1. Making History in Milwaukee
The Bucks were downright overprotective Saturday night. On their way to pushing their lead for sixth in the East to 1 1/2 games over Indiana with a 96-89 win over the Pacers, Milwaukee established the record for fewest turnovers in a game with just two. The previous mark for fewest turnovers in a game was three, accomplished seven times. The Bucks, who received a boost in the backcourt with the return of T.J. Ford (left quad strain) dished out 23 assists. Ford and fellow point guards Maurice Williams and Charlie Bell did not commit one turnover between them. With the win, Milwaukee moved within a half game of fifth-place Washington. "I like setting records, not just season highs," Milwaukee coach Terry Stotts said. "It's good to be a part of it. The other ones were good, but to only have two turnovers in a game says a lot about our passing abilities."

2. Jazz Trio Puts On a Show
The playoff races continued to tighten Saturday and a Jazz trio had a lot to do with it. Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur all posted at least 20 points and 10 boards as Utah sent Portland to its 10th straight defeat with a 102-89 road win. Kirilenko led the way with 23 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. Okur added 21 points and 14 boards and Boozer continued to make an impact with 22 points and 10 rebounds. "We are the best rebounding team in the NBA," Okur said. "That's what we do best. We always have crashed the boards to try and get and take away second shots. It showed tonight." The Jazz pulled into a tie with the Hornets just two games behind the eighth-place Kings. The race for the final spot in the East also tightened up as Chicago moved within a game of the idle Sixers after rallying past Boston.

3. D-League Races Heating Up
There is just over a week to play in the D-League's regular season and there is still plenty to be decided. The Fort Worth Flyers, who currently feature two players assigned from the NBA, clinched the league's regular-season title and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs with Saturday's win over Austin. The top spot is all that is decided as six teams are battling for the final three spots. Four teams are separated by just a half-game in spots two through five and there are two other teams lurking behind them. Bracey Wright of the Timberwolves and Ersan Ilyasova of the Bucks are two of the NBA players involved in the playoff chase.

COOL/CLUTCH PERFORMANCE

The Spurs were clinging to a 92-90 lead over the visiting Wizards with under three minutes to go before Manu Ginobili took over. Ginobili scored the final 14 points for San Antonio in a 106-99 win. He started his spurt with a pair of free throws and then delivered a 3-pointer to push the gap to 97-91. He didn't cool off the rest of the way and finished with 22 points as the Spurs pushed their lead over Dallas to three in the race for the West's top seed. "I couldn't make anything good happen," Ginobili said. "I was taking good shots but they just weren't falling. For three quarters nothing would go in until the last one. That one shot got me going. I got in the right spot and got more confidence."

ROOKIE WATCH

When Martell Webster was taken by the Blazers out of Seattle Prep High School in last year's draft, it was unclear how long it would take for the swingman to make an impact at the NBA level. When he was assigned to the D-League earlier this season, it seemed that impact may be a ways away. But if Saturday's performance is any sign of what is to come, the 19-year-old will be just fine. In only his 14th career start, he started 8-of-9 from the floor en route to 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the floor, including 3-of-6 on 3-pointers in a 102-89 loss to Utah.