By Mike Slane

Jan. 21, 2007: SCOREBOARD | PHOTO GALLERY | AROUND THE ASSOCIATION ARCHIVE

PHOTO OF THE NIGHT
Randolph had 19 points and 12 boards in the Blazers' 99-95 win over the Bucks. S. Forencich/NBAE/Getty
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
"It's tough to climb out of a hole against a team like the Spurs.''

-- Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks after his team failed to overcome a 15-point first-quarter deficit in a 99-85 loss to the Spurs on Sunday night.
THE DAY'S TOP VIDEO
Sunday's top play: Jason Williams completes the circus-shot..
  • Haier Play of the Day
  • Dunk of the Night
  • Assist of the Night
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  • Block of the Night
  • Steal of the Night
  • NBA TV Top 10
    • RICK KAMLA'S FANTASY TAKE
    With Minnesota's starting guard Ricky Davis serving a one-game suspension, Troy Hudson made the best of his extended minutes on Sunday. Hudson scored a season-high 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-7 from long distance, and delivered four assists in a season-high 31 minutes against the Suns. But don't expect nights like this from Hudson very often.
    SHOOTING STUDS
    Dwyane Wade, Heat
    99-93 loss vs. Mavericks
    31 pts, 12-21 FG, 6-9 FT

    Randy Foye, Timberwolves
    131-102 loss at Suns
    25 pts, 9-17 FG, 5-6 3-pt FG

    Amare Stoudemire, Suns
    131-102 win vs. Timberwolves
    25 pts, 11-14 FG, 3-3 FT
    STAT SHEET STUFFER
    The league's smallest player not only put up big scoring numbers on Sunday, but he pulled down a few rebounds as well. Earl Boykins tied game highs with 28 points - on 3-of-6 shooting from 3-point land and a perfect 9-of-9 from the free-throw line - and six assists in the Milwaukee Bucks' 99-95 loss in Portland. The 5-foot-5 point guard also added five rebounds, two shy of his career high, in 45 minutes.
    SHOOTING DUDS
    Samuel Dalembert, Sixers
    99-85 loss vs. Spurs
    4-16 FG, 4-6 FT, 12 pt

    Ersan Ilyasova, Bucks
    99-95 loss at Blazers
    2-11 FG, 0-5 3-pt FG, 8 pts

    Mark Blount, Magic
    131-102 loss at Suns
    4-14 FG, 8 pts
    MAVERICKS GET REVENGE OVER SHAQ-LESS HEAT
    The Miami Heat may be the defending NBA champs, but it's the Dallas Mavericks who hold the league's best record. Meeting for the first time since the 2006 Finals, Jerry Stackhouse scored 16 of his 23 in the fourth quarter to help the Mavericks hold off a strong second-half comeback attempt from the Heat for a 99-93 road victory on Sunday. The Mavericks' Josh Howard tallied 25 points and nine rebounds, while Dirk Nowitzki added 22 and 11. Dwyane Wade led the Heat with a game-high 31 points. "They're the world champions. ... You knew they were going to come back with a champion's heart," Stackhouse said following the win. Dallas, which has won 20 of their last 21, improved to 34-8, while Miami dropped to 18-22 on the season. Heat center Shaquille O'Neal sat out of Sunday's game and is listed as day-to-day. Shaq was "not ready to play yet," according to Heat coach Ron Rothstein prior to Sunday's meeting. The big fella could be ready to play as soon as Monday when the Heat host the New York Knicks.
    WOLVES SHOW UP WITHOUT TICKET; SUNS WIN 13TH STRAIGHT
    The Phoenix Suns proved for the second time this season that the number 13 isn't unlucky after all. Led by Shawn Marion's 17 points and season-high 20 rebounds, Phoenix cruised by Minnesota, 131-102, on Sunday for its 13th straight win. Steve Nash recorded 16 points and 11 assists, while Amare Stoudemire added 25 points on 11-for-14 shooting from the floor. Forced to play without leading scorers Kevin Garnett and Ricky Davis, both on one-game suspensions , the Timberwolves fell behind early and then allowed 46 third quarter points to the Suns. However, rookie Randy Foye looked impressive as he led the T-Wolves with 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range. Phoenix became just the eighth team in NBA history to have two winning streaks of at least 13 games in a season and is two wins away from matching a franchise-record 15 straight victories, which was set November 20 to December 19. "We've had some breaks," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said, "but at the same time we've played good basketball, and we haven't beat ourselves in a lot of games."
    ROOKIE WATCH
    If Portland's Brandon Roy can stay healthy for the remainder of the season, he'll definitely earn strong Rookie of the Year award considerations - especially if he continues to play like he did on Sunday. Roy, the sixth overall pick of the 2006 Draft, scored a season-high 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds to guide the Blazers to a 99-95 victory over the Bucks. Roy's previous high was set on January 6 when he dropped 23 points in a 110-106 win in Sacramento.
    SIXTH MAN OF THE NIGHT
    With Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan struggling from the field, the San Antonio Spurs' Brent Barry picked up the scoring slack off the bench. Barry scored 18 of his game-high 23 points in the first half as the Spurs rolled to a 99-85 road victory over the Sixers on Sunday. The 12-year veteran shot 8-of-11 from the field, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, hit 2-of-3 free throws, and added two assists in 23 minutes. His five 3-pointers were two more than the entire Sixers team.
    D-LEAGUE STAR OF THE NIGHT
    As one of the D-League's elder statesmen at 31 years old, Idaho Stampede point guard Randy Livingston showed his leadership skills on the court Sunday by scoring 13 points and dishing out a game-high 12 assists to lead the Stampede to a 109-85 win over the Bakersfield Jam. Livingston, a former second-round pick of the Houston Rockets in the the 1996 Draft, is averaging 10.9 points and ranks second in the league with 9.5 assists per game.