Steve Nash, Suns
105-96 loss at Hawks
34 pts, 12-19 FG, 7-10 3-pt FG

Sam Cassell, Clippers
104-89 win at Pacers
35 pts, 13-20 FG, 7-8 FT

Manu Ginobili, Spurs
88-78 win vs. Heat
25 pts, 8-12 FG, 4-7 3-pt FG

Although the Hawks are not one of the three undefeated teams remaining, they are still raising eyebrows. Atlanta's wins this season have come against the elite Mavericks and Suns. Its victory against Phoenix came Wednesday as Josh Smith tallied 22 points, 10 boards, four steals and five blocks. He helped take advantage of a Suns' squad without Amare Stoudemire (knee) as the Hawks outrebounded Phoenix in every quarter.

Kevin Durant, Sonics
105-98 loss vs. Grizzlies
3-17 FG, 17 pts

Drew Gooden, Cavaliers
103-101 loss at Jazz
2-11 FG, 8 pts

Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets
119-93 loss at Celtics
3-13 FG, 1-4 3-pt FG, 11 pts

Before this season started, who would have figured that the Clippers and Pacers would be battling for the right to remain undefeated on Wednesday? With injuries to Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston haunting Los Angeles heading into the season, a .500 start would have seemed amazing. And after being dealt a pair of injuries to Cuttino Mobley (groin) and Ruben Patterson (finger) in the first quarter, survival seemed like a more realistic goal than winning. However, just like their preseason motto had stated, the Clippers kept on believing and turned to their veteran birthday boy for guidance. Sam Cassell, celebrating his 37th birthday, picked up the slack and unloaded for 35 points to lift Los Angeles over Indiana, 104-89, and keep its perfect record intact. Chris Kaman delivered on both ends of the court with 15 points and 22 boards. "In training camp, our motto was 'Believe,'" Corey Maggette said. "We've gotten off to a great start, and we just have to keep it up."

It didn't take long for the Nuggets to find out that three is always better than two. The "Big Three" took it to the "Dynamic Duo" early and often on Wednesday as Boston led by as many as 41 before settling for a 119-93 win over Denver. Not to anyone's surprise the Celtics' "Big Three" were their top three scorers. Paul Pierce led the way with 26 points, Kevin Garnett added 23 and Ray Allen poured in 22. Boston shot a blistering 65 percent from the field in the contest as it improved to a perfect 3-0 on the season. Pierce said after the game that he believes the Celtics' now famous trio can play even better. Part of the reason for the demise of the "Double Dose in Denver" was that only one of them really showed up. While Allen Iverson posted 22 points and three steals, Carmelo Anthony was held to 11 points on a night where he shot a dismal 3-of-13 from the field.

Manu Ginobili is becoming so dominant as the sixth man for the Spurs that pretty soon we are going to change the name of this category to the "Manu Ginobili of the Night." The sixth-year guard out of Argentina impressed again on Wednesday, firing off a game-high 25 points, to go along with seven rebounds and seven assists. It was the third time this season that Ginobili led San Antonio in scoring, while coming off the bench. He helped defend the Alamo, as the Spurs downed the Heat, 88-78, dropping Miami to 1-20 all-time in San Antonio. "Ginobili is a handful,'' Heat coach Pat Riley said. "He's unpredictable. It's hard to defend him.'' Tony Parker provided support as he notched 23 points and eight assists.

When the Sixers' selected Thaddeus Young with the 12th pick in the 2007 NBA draft, some media pundits criticized Philadelphia for not selecting a more polished prospect, arguing that Young was too raw and that the Sixers needed someone to instantly fill the gap in production left by the Allen Iverson trade. However, Philadelphia's vision was clear. It saw a prospect with a big upside at a time where it was obviously rebuilding. In his first regular season game, Young tallied six points, three boards and two steals to help the Sixers beat the Bobcats on Wednesday. Although he did look a little unpolished, committing three turnovers, Young was impressive from the field, going 3-of-5, in 11 minutes of action.

Wednesday night's matchup between Cleveland and Utah featured two players both worthy of tonight's Cool/Clutch award. After posting the 11th triple-double of his career by the third quarter, LeBron James kept the fire churning in the fourth as he exploded for 16 in the final period. None of his shots were more pivotal than his trey with 6.8 ticks left that capped a Cavaliers' nine-point fourth-quarter comeback to tie the game. However, Deron Williams was just as willing to play the role of hero as he went the length of the floor to sink a layup with 1.3 seconds left to hand the Jazz a thrilling 103-101 win over Cleveland. Williams scored 10 of his 15 points in the final session, while teammate Paul Millsap added a career-high 24.