By Michael Levine

Nov. 20, 2006: SCOREBOARD | PHOTO GALLERY

PHOTO OF THE NIGHT
Can you believe that Nate blocked Yao in the Rockets' road win? Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images
RICK KAMLA'S FANTASY TAKE
"A star is being born, and it's Monta Ellis. With Baron Davis out of the lineup (ribs), Ellis posted a career-high 31 points for the second straight game and added seven assists and three steals. Don't worry about that injury in the last minute; it was just a cramp and he'll be fine."
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
"Emeka was playing as well as I've ever seen him play, being really strong down low. We had to tough this one out and we did." -- Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, named Player of the Week on Monday, on Charlotte's Emeka Okafor, who had 22 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks. But Dirk had 24 points and 14 boards of his own as the Mavs won their sixth straight game.
THE DAY'S TOP VIDEO
Monday's top play: Monta Ellis races down the court for a huge one-handed jam.
  • Haier Play of the Day
  • Dunk of the Night
  • Assist of the Night
    		•
  • Block of the Night
  • Steal of the Night
  • NBA TV Top 10
    • SHOOTING STUDS
    Carlos Boozer, Jazz
    101-96 win vs. Raptors
    35 pts, 14-16 FG

    Ray Allen, Sonics
    99-87 win vs. Nets
    29 pts, 11-21 FG, 4 3PM

    Tim Duncan & Manu Ginobili, Spurs
    107-98 win at Blazers
    50 pts, 19-30 FG, 3-5 3-pt FG
    STAT SHEET STUFFER
    The Magic came up short in their quest for a fifth straight win, but that doesn't take away from what Dwight Howard has done over the past nine days. For the second straight outing and the third time in five games, Howard saw 20-20. He posted 24 points on 9-for-12 shooting to go with 23 rebounds Monday after Saturday's 24-21 and a 21-22 on Nov. 11. Chris Bosh has the only other 20-20 performance this season.
    SHOOTING DUDS
    Adam Morrison, Bobcats
    93-85 loss vs. Mavericks
    3-14 FG, 1-6 3-pt FG, 7 pts

    Rudy Gay, Grizzlies
    95-86 win vs. Magic
    2-12 FG, 4 pts

    Quentin Richardson & Eddy Curry, Knicks
    97-90 loss vs. Rockets
    5-20 FG, 1-6 3-pt FG, 3-6 FT, 14 pts
    SWEET TUNE IN UTAH
    The glory years of John Stockton and Karl Malone never produced a start like this. The Jazz overcame a 16-point third-quarter deficit on Monday to edge the Raptors, 101-96, and improve to 10-1 for the first time in franchise history. Carlos Boozer celebrated his 25th birthday with 35 points and second-round rookie Paul Millsap had his second straight big game with 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting at the newly-christened EnergySolutions Arena. The victory was also Jerry Sloan's 900th with Utah, making him the first coach to win that many games with one team.
    HAPPY TRAVELERS
    Last year, the Spurs tied a club record with 29 road victories and closed out the season with five straight victories away from the AT&T Center. It seems the summer layoff hasn't changed a thing. Tim Duncan had 13 of his 25 points in the third quarter and Manu Ginobili had 18 of his 25 in the fourth as San Antonio erased an eight-point halftime deficit to edge the Trail Blazers in Portland. With the victory, the Spurs are 6-0 on the road for the first time in team history and are 9-2 overall.
    UPSET OF THE NIGHT
    How can a conference finalist beating a non-playoff team missing its best player be an upset, you ask? The last-place 3-6 Suns had yet to earn a victory outside of the desert, while the 7-3 Warriors had won six straight home games and five straight overall to earn a share of first place in the Pacific. But Steve Nash's return to the lineup, along with counterpart Baron Davis' removal from it, proved to be the difference. Nash tallied 19 points and 15 assists and hit a 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds remaining to give Phoenix a dramatic 113-110 victory.
    SIXTH MAN OF THE NIGHT
    Richard Jefferson hasn't come off the bench in a long, long time and probably shouldn't get too comfortable doing it. The Nets' high-flying wingman returned to action after missing five games with a sprained ankle, but took it slow in his first game back. He scored nine points in 26 reserve minutes and New Jersey continued to miss his presence, taking a 99-87 loss in Seattle. Jefferson had started in every appearance since the start of the 2002-03 season, 277 games in all. He did come off the bench in 70 of his 79 games during his rookie campaign.
    COOL/CLUTCH PERFORMANCE
    The Pau Gasol-less Grizzlies came into Monday 1-8 on the season and losers of seven straight games. They trailed after the first, after the second, and after the third quarter. But that's when things got turned around, at least temporarily. Second-year forward Hakim Warrick scored 15 of his game-high 26 points in the final frame, finished 11-of-19 from the field and added 10 rebounds. Rookie Kyle Lowry added 16 points, six assists and five steals and Memphis grabbed a 95-86 victory, its eighth in nine games against Orlando.
    ROOKIE WATCH
    No. 1 pick Andrea Bargnani made his presence felt for the first time on Monday. The Italian-born forward blew away previous season highs in points (15) and minutes (27), nabbed his first steal and blocked a pair of shots, but the Raptors were unable to hold on for a win in Utah.
    D-LEAGUE STAR OF THE NIGHT
    Jawad Williams, the former University of North Carolina star, scored a game-high 25 points for the Arsenal on Monday. But he got little help from his teammates and the D-Fenders looked good on offense (surprising considering their name) in a 129-94 home preseason victory.