PLAY OF THE DAY

SHOOTING STUDS

Vince Carter, Nets
90-78 win vs. Heat
43 pts, 16-27 FG,
6-9 3-pt FG, 5-6 FT

Kobe Bryant, Lakers
104-88 win vs. Rockets
43 pts, 19-32 FG, 3-5 3-pt FG

Damien Wilkins, Sonics
122-83 win vs. Blazers
20 pts, 9-11 FG, 2-3 3-pt FG

SHOOTING DUDS

Mike Dunleavy, Warriors
106-104 OT loss at Wolves
2-13 FG, 0-6 3-pt FG, 5 pts

Cuttino Mobley, Clippers
106-96 loss at Kings
2-11 FG, 1-6 3-pt FG, 5 pts

Keith Bogans & Luther Head, Rockets
104-88 loss at Lakers
5-21 FG, 2-9 3-pt FG, 13 pts

STAT SHEET STUFFER

Just one day after recording a monster triple-double, LeBron James was at it again in Sunday's 101-97 Cavaliers' win over the Bobcats. No, he didn't bank a triple-double, but he did score 35 points for the sixth straight time while tallying 12 rebounds and eight assists. He brought a soft shooting touch to the arena, as well, hitting 13-of-24 from the floor. James added two blocks and a steal for good measure.

RICK KAMLA'S FANTASY TAKE

Yao Ming has been huge lately. Not 7-foot-5, 300-pounds huge. Huge as in 27.1 points and 10.7 boards in his last 10 games huge. Sure, the Rockets are 3-7 in that span and no, they won't make the playoff this season, but keep Yao's recent production in mind for next year's drafts. Ask yourself this: How many bigs are legit 20-10 candidates?

D-LEAGUE STAR OF THE NIGHT

Isiah Victor stole the D-League show Sunday, scoring 12 of his 35 points in the third quarter as the Roanoke Dazzle rallied from a three-point halftime deficit to defeat the Tulsa 66ers, 100-91. The former University of Tennesee Volunteer hit 11 of his 19 shot attempts.

SIXTH MAN OF THE NIGHT

Shareef Abdur-Rahim is no stranger to the starting lineup; he has started 30 games this season, averaging 16 points in those starts. Meanwhile, his production slips to just 9.4 when coming off the bench. But in a game the Kings needed to win to keep pace with the Hornets -- who had won earlier in the day -- Abdur-Rahim stepped off the pine and scored 18 points on a red-hot 8-of-10 from the floor to help lead Sacramento to a pivotal 106-96 win over the Clippers. The victory maintained a two-game lead on New Orleans/Oklahoma City for the final spot in the Western Conference playoffs.

GAME OF THE NIGHT

In the first half of Sunday's marquee Suns-Pistons matchup, fans in Phoenix were probably touting the showdown as a potential NBA Finals preview. However, when the final buzzer sounded, it is safe to assume that those same fans were writing the contest off as nothing more than a minor blip on an 82-game radar. Shawn Marion and the Suns exploded out of the gate, building a 17-point halftime lead on the defending Eastern Conference champions. The second half, however, was a different story. Ignited by Chauncey Billups (see: Cool/Clutch Performance), Detroit came roaring back, outscoring Phoenix by 11 in the third quarter and 10 in the final frame to earn the 109-102 home victory and make a statement to Western Conference foes. San Antonio and Dallas, take notice.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT

"Anytime you get a win, you get that confidence. It would have been easy to go against a team that hasn't won 20 games, underestimate them and let them get a win. They're playing relaxed and we're fighting for the playoffs, so those teams are hard to beat at this time of the year."

-- Philadelphia's Allen Iverson, after scoring 32 points in a 114-95 win over the Knicks that completed a home-and-home series sweep. Iverson scored 79 points in the two-game set. His perfomance helped the Sixers keep hold of a 1½-game advantage on the Bulls for the Eastern Conference's eighth seed.

STORYLINES OF THE NIGHT

1. Kobe Joins Historic Pair
Kobe Bryant strengthened his case for the unofficial Most Prolific Scorer of His Generation Award with another 40-plus-point performance in a 104-88 victory over the Rockets. Kobe cut loose for 43 points on 19-of-32 shooting. It was the 23rd time this year he scored 40 or more (and we're only counting 81 once), tying the Lakers' franchise record set by Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor in 1962-63. "I didn't even know the record existed until a couple of days ago," Bryant said. "I never, in my wildest dreams, dreamed of being in such great company like Elgin." But Bryant -- and this is no dig on Baylor -- joined even more prestigious company by surpassing 2,500 points for the season. The last guy to do it: Michael Jordan in 1992-93. Jordan scored 2,541 in 78 games; Sunday's performance gave Kobe 2,542 through 73 contents. Talk about "The Air Apparent."

2. The Fab Five Disbanded?
No team in NBA history has ever used the same starting lineup for an entire season -- and it looks like it will stay that way for at least one more year. Entering play Sunday, the Pistons had started the same five players in all 72 of their games. They barely made it to 73 after Rasheed Wallace arrived late to The Palace at Auburn Hills (blame it on daylight savings), but coach Flip Saunders elected to start Wallace anyway, despite Antonio McDyess being announced as the starter prior to tipoff. However, barring some unexpected leniancy from the league offices, Detroit will use a different quintet for the first time in game number 74. In the third quarter of an eventual 109-102 win over Phoenix, Wallace picked up his 16th technical foul of the season and the automatic one-game suspension that comes with it. He is expected to miss the Pistons' matchup with the Hornets on Tuesday.

3. Break Up the Nets
On Monday, either the Florida Gators or the UCLA Bruins will cut down the nets in Indianapolis, something the Heat couldn't mangage in New Jersey on Sunday. Despite getting another explosive outing from Dwyane Wade and a healthy Shaquille O'Neal back in the lineup, Miami was the latest victim of the Nets' runaway playoff train; New Jersey won its 12th straight, 90-78, behind 43 points from Vince Carter. More important than even Carter's 20 third-quarter points and the Nets' stingy defense, which again held an opponent under 90 points (it has done so 11 times during the streak) was the fact that the win moved them to within 3½ games of the Heat with 10 remaing for the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference. "We always felt (catching Miami) was a possibility," Carter said. "But we have to take care of our jobs and just win. If we just win, everything will fall into place."

COOL/CLUTCH PERFORMANCE

Maybe Chauncey Billups wanted to send a message to potential playoff opponents. Maybe he wanted to make sure the Pistons remained the only team not burned by the Suns this season. Or maybe he just wanted to bolster his argument for MVP by sticking it to the reigning title holder. Whatever the case may be, one thing became abundantly clear Sunday: Billups is the man. After a sluggish first half ended with Detroit giving up a season-high 63 points and trailing Phoenix by 17, Billups took his team on his back and scored 28 of his game-high 35 points after the break to carry the Pistons to a 109-102 victory. Steve Nash, last year's MVP and a contender for the crown again this season, scored a respectable 12 after intermission, but he and Shawn Marion (32 points and 10 rebounds) couldn't contend with Billups. "Chauncey was amazing," Nash said. "He made some shots from 30 feet. It's tough to beat a team when a guy is making shots like he was tonight and he was just terrific."

ROOKIE WATCH

While their teams were duking it out in double OT, the Hornets' Chris Paul and the Raptors' Charlie Villanueva were going one-on-one in a showdown of the league's top rookies. Paul -- who drives the lead car on the Road to ROY -- recorded his first career triple-double (24 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists), while Villanueva tallied 25 points and 18 rebounds. CP3 scored 15 of his 24 in the fourth quarter and both overtimes to outdo Charlie V. in the 120-113 victory at Toronto.