PLAY OF THE DAY

SHOOTING STUDS

Kobe Bryant, Lakers
107-96 loss at Suns
51 pts, 19-33 FG
5-11 3-pt FG, 8-10 FT

Mike James, Raptors
95-89 loss at Hornets
36 pts, 13-18 FG, 7-10 3-pt FG, 3-3 FT

Josh Smith, Hawks
114-101 win vs. Wizards
25 pts, 9-13 FG, 3-5 3-pt FG, 4-6 FT

SHOOTING DUDS

Morris Peterson, Raptors
95-89 loss at Hornets
2-14 FG, 0-4 3-pt FG, 13 pts

Steve Francis, Knicks
98-96 win vs. Pacers
1-9 FG, 3 pts

Mike Dunleavy, Warriors
100-93 loss vs. Rockets
4-16 FG, 1-4 3-pt FG, 11 pts

STAT SHEET STUFFER

The most important number for Pau Gasol on Friday was one, since that's what the Grizzlies' magic number for reaching the playoffs is after a 100-90 win over the Bucks. But Gasol put up some impressive numbers of his own as he tallied 33 points, 14 boards, eight assists, three blocks and two steals. It was his 31st double-double of the season and he finished a remarkable 13-of-15 from the field. Memphis coach Mike Fratello also recorded an impressive number as he passed Hubie Brown to become the franchise's all-time leader in wins with 84.

RICK KAMLA'S FANTASY TAKE

Carlos Boozer is officially back. The Utah big man pumped in 30 points for the third time in the past month on Friday and now appears completely healthy. As long as he doesn't get injured the rest of the way, feel free to target him early in next year's draft.

D-LEAGUE STAR OF THE NIGHT

After playing just four minutes this season with the Pistons, Detroit figured the best place for Amir Johnson was the D-League so the 18-year-old could get some playing time. Johnson, selected 56th overall out of Westchester High School (Calif.) in last year's draft, flashed some of his potential on Friday night. The 6-foot-9 forward scored 19 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the floor in Fayetteville's 115-106 win over Roanoke.

COOL/CLUTCH PERFORMANCE

Mike Bibby led the Kings with 30 points on Friday night, but it was Ron Artest that was the difference in the fourth quarter of Sacramento's 96-93 road win over the Clippers. Artest scored 14 of his team's 24 points in the final period and delivered two clutch shots down the stretch. He knotted the game with 1:10 to go on a 3-pointer and put the Kings on top for good with 34 seconds to play. Artest finished with 23 points as Sacramento pulled into a tie with the Lakers for seventh place in the West and kept the Clippers from clinching a playoff berth.

GAME OF THE NIGHT

There were plenty of off-the-court issues that made Friday's game between the Pistons and Magic an intriguing one and the contest turned out to be pretty exciting on the court as well. It was the first time the two clubs had met since Detroit sent former No. 2 pick Darko Milicic and Carlos Arroyo to Orlando for Kelvin Cato on Feb. 15. It was also the second out of three games the Pistons were without a regular starter after having the same lineup start the season's first 73 games. Richard Hamilton missed the game due to a death in the family and was replaced by Carlos Delfino. Milicic scored eight on 4-of-5 shooting and Arroyo scored 10, but it was Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson that made the biggest impact in Orlando's 89-87 victory. Turkoglu scored 26 on 10-of-13 shooting from the floor and Nelson provided the go-ahead jumper with 6.5 seconds to play, snapping Detroit's six-game winning streak.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT

"My thing is to be basketball player and what is needed. If they leave me open for a three, I'm going to take the shot. If they need me to play defense and stop my man, I'm going to stop my man. That's what I do."

-- Linton Johnson of the Hornets, who shot 3-of-4 from behind the arc en route to 13 points in a 95-89 victory over visiting Toronto.

STORYLINES OF THE NIGHT

1. As the West Turns
Just when it seemed the Spurs were about to lock up the top seed in the Western Conference for the fifth time in 12 years, the Mavericks threw their hat back in the ring. Dallas, which had lost four straight in San Antonio, handed the Spurs their second straigt loss at home with its 92-86 victory. The race for the top seed is especially important because both teams are on track to meet in the second round of the playoffs and home-court advantage is at stake. After splitting the season series, both teams have six games to play and the Mavericks have a half-game lead in the second tiebreaker, which is won-loss record in the Southwest Division. "We can't be satisfied with just tying up the series with this win," Jerry Stackhouse said. "We're going to probably see this team somewhere down the road in the playoffs." Josh Howard kept Dallas going early with 20 of his 22 in the first half and Dirk Nowitzki finished strong with 19 of his 30 in the second half. The Mavs did a good job on Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, holding the duo to 23 points on 10-of-30 shooting from the floor.

2. And Then There Was Reggie
Ray Allen reached his second milestone in the last month on Friday night. The Seattle superstar, who scored his 15,000th career point on March 12, moved into second place on the all-time 3-point list with the 1,720th of his career in a 121-108 road win over former coach Nate McMillan and the Blazers. Allen finished with 38 points, hitting 4-of-6 from hehind the arc. Allen passed former Sonic Dale Ellis and still has a long way to go to catch Reggie Miller (2,560). "Ray is on our team and he's capable of games like that," Sonics coach Bob Hill said. "I think he probably sensed that we needed him because we were shorthanded. He really stepped up."

3. Showdown in Chicago
The Sixers missed out on a key opportunity to help their playoff chances on Friday night, making Saturday night's showdown with the Bulls all the more important. Allen Iverson got off to a red-hot start with 18 points in the opening period, but couldn't keep it up the rest of the way in a 109-99 loss to the visiting Celtics. The win dropped Philadelphia a game behing Chicago in the race for the eighth spot in the East heading into the meeting in Chicago. Each team has seven games remaining. "As a group, we are not playing hard enough to win basketball games," said Iverson, who finished with 37 points. "We don't seem hungry. We don't seem like we want to make it to the playoffs. It's frustrating for me because I owe that to my teammates, to be one of those guys that goes out there and plays hard every night. I just expect the same in return from them."

UPSET OF THE NIGHT

Jamal Crawford is doing his to best to salvage what's left of a tough season for the Knicks. After finishing off a 37-point effort with a clutch jumper in Wednesday's win over Cleveland, Crawford was at it again on Friday. He hit the game-winner with 0.5 ticks left in a 98-96 win over the sliding Pacers. Indiana, which entered with 15 more victories than New York, leads eighth-place Chicago by a game in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Crawford tallied 23 points on Friday and rookie Nate Robinson scored 16. The Knicks have just three wins in the last three weeks and 21 overall, but Crawford has hit the game-winner in each of their last three wins. "It is the greatest rush you can get," Crawford said. "For me, that is the greatest rush I can ever get. When it goes through the net, that is the greatest rush because fans explode and your teammates get excited."

ROOKIE WATCH

So much for the "Rookie Wall." After scoring 25 points combined in his last three games, Houston's Luther Head was nearly perfect on Friday night. The rookie guard was 8-of-9 from the field, including 6-of-7 from behind the arc in a 100-93 road win at Golden State. The guard also pulled down eight rebounds and only turned the ball over once in 41 minutes.

SIXTH MAN OF THE NIGHT

The Suns picked up their 50th win of the season Friday night, and a big reason for all those wins has been the play of guard Leandro Barbosa. The third-year player out of Brazil is averaging just under 13 points a game and came off the bench to spark Phoenix once again. He scored 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-6 from behind the arc in a 107-96 win over the Lakers.