PLAY OF THE DAY

SHOOTING STUDS

Gilbert Arenas, Wizards
116-103 win vs. Bucks
43 pts, 12-24 FG
2-10 3-pt FG, 17-19 FT

Michael Redd, Bucks
116-103 loss at Wizards
43 pts, 11-21 FG
3-7 3-pt FG, 18-19 FT

Dorell Wright, Heat
103-100 loss at Hawks
19 pts, 7-11 FG, 3-5 3-pt FG, 4-4 FT

SHOOTING DUDS

Ron Artest, Kings
111-105 win vs. Sonics
1-11 FG, 1-5 3-pt FG, 3 pts

Zoran Planinic, Nets
91-88 loss at Sixers
2-12 FG, 1-6 3-pt FG, 11 pts
Derek Anderson, Heat
103-100 loss at Hawks
2-9 FG, 0-2 3-pt FG, 5 pts

STAT SHEET STUFFER

With the Kings chasing the seventh seed in the West, forward Kenny Thomas did his part to shorten the distance in the race. Thomas displayed a well-rounded game Tuesday by scoring 17 points, grabbing 18 rebounds and giving out seven assists as Sacramento beat Seattle, 111-105, to pull within a half-game of the Lakers.

SIXTH MAN OF THE NIGHT

Coming off the bench is nothing new to Marvin Williams. Afterall, the rookie was the top reserve for UNC when it cut down the nets at the end of the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Although he has traded in his Tar Heels uniform, Williams showed Tuesday night that he still shines off the bench. He scored 16 and hauled in nine rebounds as the Hawks upset the Heat, 103-100.

GAME OF THE NIGHT

The Hawks walked off the court on the wrong end of their previous 11 meetings with the Heat. With one flick of the wrist, Tyronn Lue brought that streak to a screeching halt. Lue drained a 3-pointer with 8.3 seconds remaining to give Atlanta a 103-100 win. It was the 26th win of the season for the Hawks, doubling their total from a year ago. "I was talking to Shaquille O'Neal and Antoine Walker," said Lue, who made 5-of-12 shots. "They were giving me stuff before Joe Johnson penetrated and kicked it to me. I just had a couple of words to say." Zaza Pachulia led the Hawks with 18 points. Miami, which played without O'Neal and Dwyane Wade, was paced by Dorell Wright's 19 points.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT

"I'm sick to my stomach. I don't know how to explain it, man. It's the biggest game of our lives. We had to win this game. ... I know we're in the playoffs but I want more than that, man. I shouldn't be thinking like this, but I'm totally frustrated."

-- Bucks guard Michael Redd giving his thoughts following Milwaukee's 116-103 loss to the Wizards in a matchup of teams fighting for playoff position.

STORYLINES OF THE NIGHT

1. Positioning Battle in the East
The Wizards and Bucks took the court Tuesday with a chance to improve their seeds in the Eastern Conference. And understandably, it was their superstars that played the biggest part in determining who the winner would be. Gilbert Arenas and Michael Redd, who became the second player in Bucks history to score 2,000 points in a season, both tallied 43 points, but it was Arenas' Wizards who earned the pivotal 116-103 victory. With one day left in the regular season, the Wizards now have a one-game lead over Chicago and Indiana and a 1½-game lead over Milwaukee for the fifth seed. Washington will take the No. 5 seed with a victory at Detroit or with a Chicago loss to the Raptors on Wednesday. "When we ended our season last year, it was in the fifth spot," Arenas said, "So we're in the fifth spot until somebody takes it from us. And the only people that can take it from us is the Detroit Pistons."

2. Despite Losing, Clippers Win
April 18, 2006 will officially go down as the day the Clippers lost 101-95 to the Grizzlies to finish as the sixth seed in the West instead of the fifth. But despite the defeat, the Clippers may have actually improved their chances for success in the postseason. By virtue of having a better record, the Clippers will have home-court advantage against Denver, which is the Northwest Division champion and No. 3 seed, in the first round of the playoffs. The Grizzlies, on the other hand, will start the postseason in Dallas against the fourth-seeded Mavericks, who have the second best record in the West. "I expect a hard-fought series from Denver," Clippers All-Star forward Elton Brand said. "We got home-court advantage, and that should help. The Nuggets are a tough club, and so is Dallas. I felt that we matched up well with either."

3. Carter Reaches Milestone
Since the Nets didn't have much left to play for, head coach Lawrence Frank decided to rest studs Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson in Tuesday's 91-88 loss to the Sixers. The final member of the Big Three, Vince Carter, had a reason to be on the floor. Carter scored 16 points to set New Jersey's single-season scoring record with 1,911 points. Bernard King posted 1,909 points in the 1977-78 season. "It's a great accomplishment. I just didn't want to put too much emphasis on it tonight," Carter said. "My goal tonight was just to bring energy."

COOL/CLUTCH PERFORMANCE

With Chris Webber and Allen Iverson sitting out with injuries, the Sixers needed someone to step up and fill the dynamic duo's shoes. Andre Iguodala was more than glad to play the starring role. The second-year swingman had arguably his best game as a pro, scoring a career-high 27 points, handing out eight assists and pulling down five rebounds to lift Philadelphia to a 91-88 win over visiting New Jersey on Tuesday.

ROOKIE WATCH

In a game featuring standouts like the Grizzlies Mike Miller and the Clippers Elton Brand, it was first-year player James Singleton who stood out the most. Singleton hit on 8-for-11 from the field, including 5-for-6 from 3-point range, en route to scoring a season-high 23 points in the Clippers' 101-95 loss.