PLAY OF THE DAY

SHOOTING STUDS

T.J. Ford, Bucks
108-105 loss at Magic
34 pts, 10-18 FG
3-5 3-pt FG

Boris Diaw, Suns
119-105 loss vs. Clippers
24 pts, 12-15 FG

Paul Pierce, Celtics
108-91 loss vs. Wizards
29 pts, 11-17 FG, 3-5 3-pt FG, 4-5 FT

SHOOTING DUDS

Raja Bell, Suns
119-105 loss vs. Clippers
4-18 FG, 2-9 3-pt FG
10 pts

Rafer Alston, Rockets
76-75 loss at Blazers
2-12 FG, 1-5 3-pt FG, 5 pts

Raef LaFrentz, Celtics
108-91 loss vs. Wizards
1-8 FG, 0-4 3-pt FG, 2 pts

STAT SHEET STUFFER

Gilbert Arenas is the league's fourth-leading scorer, so it was strange to see him held to 13 points in Tuesday's win over the Knicks. He did, however, have a season-high 13 assists, and really didn't need to score much with the Wizards in control throughout. Arenas was back in familiar form Wednesday, putting up 38 points on 14-of-22 shooting, including 5-of-9 from long range, to go with eight rebounds, eight assists and four steals in Washington's 108-91 victory over Boston. The win moved the Wizards closer to reaching the postseason for the second consecutive year.

RICK KAMLA'S FANTASY TAKE

"I don't want to get ahead of myself here, but I am officially worried about Al Harrington for the rest of this season. He missed Wednesday's game with a strained pectoral muscle. Not good. That is not the sniffles or a tweaked ankle or something a player can easily overcome. Just warning you that we may have seen the last of Harrington until 06-07."

D-LEAGUE STAR OF THE NIGHT

Bracey Wright has been a consistent contributor all season for Florida and Wednesday was no different. Wright poured in a game-high 29 points, connecting on 5-of-10 from 3-point range, and grabbed seven rebounds, but couldn't prevent the Flame from dropping a 99-95 decision at Tulsa. Wright, who appeared in two games for the Timberwolves in January, is the D-League's fourth-leading scorer (21.0).

COOL/CLUTCH PERFORMANCE

The Hawks were in need of a spark and Josh Childress was there to provide it. Childress scored nine of his 10 points in the fourth quarter and put himself in perfect position to convert the game-winning basket in Atlanta's 101-99 home win over Minnesota. With the game tied, Childress caught a long inbounds pass from Zaza Pachulia near halfcourt, drove the lane and dropped in a layup with his left hand just before the final buzzer sounded.

GAME OF THE NIGHT

A pair of struggling teams that are probably looking forward to next season went head-to-head at the Rose Garden and the Trail Blazers came away with a 76-75 victory that ended their 11-game losing streak. Luther Head and Yao Ming each missed potential game-winning shots after Sebastian Telfair sank a jumper with 27.7 seconds remaining to put Portland ahead. The Blazers' victory was their first against the Rockets in 10 games and helped them avoid their longest losing streak in 20 years. Houston, meanwhile, dropped to 0-3 on a six-game road trip and to 5-23 without superstar Tracy McGrady in the lineup.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT

"I think I speak for everybody when I say that we like winning better than we like losing."

-- Pacers coach Rick Carlisle after his team snapped a five-game losing streak with a 111-103 victory over visiting Toronto.

STORYLINES OF THE NIGHT

1. The Most Super of Subs
Conventional wisdom says the five best players should start. Ben Gordon's career with the Bulls has proved that line of thinking to be totally inaccurate. One night after a brilliant performance in a come-from-behind win over Indiana, Gordon was at it again, scoring 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting in the Bulls' pivotal 99-92 triumph at Philadelphia. The Bulls got a scare when Big Ben left late in the first half with a twisted ankle, but Gordon returned late in the third quarter. The victory was Chicago's fourth straight and moved it into eighth place in the East, one half-game ahead of the slumping Sixers. The Bulls are 63-48 the past two seasons when Gordon enters as a substitute, but just 18-26 when the second-year guard starts. It's no coincidence that Chicago is 6-1 since moving Gordon, the 2004-05 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, back to a reserve role after he made 40 straight starts.

2. Late-Season Magic
It's unlikely that the Orlando Magic will make the playoffs. That may be good news for the teams that do. Few teams are playing as well right now as the Magic, who posted their eighth straight home win, 108-105 over Milwaukee. Carlos Arroyo scored 17 points, including a reverse layup with 15 seconds left that proved to be the game's biggest basket. Orlando lost eight of its first nine games after acquiring Darko Milicic and Arroyo from Detroit on Feb. 15, but has since won 10 of 14. That 10-4 run includes wins over playoff-bound teams Cleveland, Dallas and the Bucks. Although Milicic changing addresses received far more publicity, Arroyo has had the greater impact. The native of Puerto Rico is averaging 10.9 points and 3.0 assists in 23 games with the Magic. "It's important that we keep playing hard even though it may seem that we can't make the playoffs," said forward Dwight Howard, who had 19 points and 17 rebounds. "Hard work pays off. It's good to see our guys really come together down the stretch. It's just been good to get another win at home."

3. Three Weeks Makes a Difference
On March 15, the Suns used a dominant first quarter en route to an easy 126-95 home victory over the Clippers, proving that while L.A. was improved, it still was not ready to match up with the league's elite. Just 21 days later, the Clippers rolled back into Phoenix and proved that they are more than capable of playing with the league's heavyweights. MVP candidate Elton Brand had 34 points and 15 rebounds, leading the Clippers to a surprisingly easy 119-105 win that reduced their magic number for clinching the franchise's first playoff berth since 1997 to one. While surpassing the Suns and winning the Pacific is still mathematically a possibility, the Clips will likely have to settle for second in the division and could be headed for a first-round matchup with Dallas.

UPSET OF THE NIGHT

Maybe the law of averages caught up to both teams, leading to New York's shocking 96-94 win over Cleveland at Madison Square Garden. Whatever the reason, few could have guessed the Knicks would be the team to cool off the Cavs. Cleveland started poorly, but came to life late, erasing a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit as LeBron James scored 21 of his 36 in the final 12 minutes. James' layup with 27.9 seconds left forged a 94-94 tie, but Jamal Crawford drained a fadeaway jumper with 6.4 seconds remaining to put the Knicks back in front. Larry Hughes missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer, ending Cleveland's nine-game win streak and New York's nine-game losing streak. While those streaks were snapped, James' run of scoring 35 points or more reached eight consecutive games. "We match up pretty good against them with the exception of LeBron," Crawford said. "Nobody matches up well with him. We took their best punch and won the game."

ROOKIE WATCH

Not that there has been any doubt for months, but Chris Paul's play this week should cement his standing as the league's top rookie. Paul turned in another brilliant game Wednesday in the Hornets' 114-109 OT win over Golden State, recording his second triple-double of the season and second in three games. CP3 tallied 17 points, a season-high 16 assists, 11 rebounds and six steals. More importantly, the win kept New Orleans/Oklahoma City two games behind Sacramento in the race for the final playoff spot in the West. Paul is averaging 21.6 points, 12.6 assists, 9.0 boards and 4.3 steals in his last three contests. "I said he would be a great player," Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "I think he might be that already. Nights like this prove he is going to be a superstar in this league."

SIXTH MAN OF THE NIGHT

It would be hard to deny that Chris Paul's emergence is the single most important factor behind the Hornets' vast improvement this season, but several other factors have also contributed. Among them is the play of reserve Speedy Claxton, who had 21 points and seven assists as his team outlasted Golden State in overtime 114-109. Claxton has provided Byron Scott's team with another offensive option, averaging 12.2 points and 4.9 assists per game. "That's why those guys are here," Scott said about Claxton and Kirk Snyder. "Their job is to give us a boost, and be aggressive. We have a couple of guys who we rely on to do that, especially with P.J. (Brown) and Desmond (Mason) out of the lineup."