Eddy Curry, Knicks
97-93 loss at Spurs
25 pts, 10-12 FG, 5-6 FT

Andris Biedrins, Warriors
116-104 loss vs. Hornets
20 pts, 10-11 FG

Juan Carlos Navarro, Grizzlies
100-96 loss at Celtics
20 pts, 7-9 FG, 3-3 3-pt FG, 3-4 FT

Chris Bosh desperately wants to be a starter in the All-Star game. He’s even taken up amateur videography to prove it but his numbers pretty much do all the talking necessary. Against the second best team in the East on Friday, Bosh put up 23 points and grabbed 16 boards. Unfortunately, he has to compete for that spot with LeBron James and Kevin Garnett – the leading vote getters in the entire league. He could average those numbers and he’d still come up short.

Ray Allen, Celtics
100-96 win vs. Grizzlies
2 pts, 0-9 FG, 0-3 3-pt FG

Antonio McDyess, Pistons
101-85 win at Raptors
4 pts, 2-9 FG, 0-1 3-pt FG

Bobby Jackson, Hornets
116-104 win at Warriors
0 pts, 0-6 FG, 0-2 3-pt FG

The Pistons and Celtics continue to pull away from the rest of the Eastern Conference. With a 101-85 win over the Raptors, Detroit is on a league-best 11-game winning streak. Boston is not far behind, extending its own streak to eight games with a 100-96 win over the Grizzlies. Something has got to give on Saturday night as the Celtics roll into Detroit for an historic matchup. The two teams last met when the Pistons snapped Boston’s season-long winning streak at nine in Boston, which also happens to be the C’s last loss. Richard Hamilton came up big for Detroit in that game, scoring 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting, and also led the way over Toronto with 22 points on Friday.

In his second game back with the team after an extended leave following his father’s death, Stephon Marbury made his first start of the new year for the Knicks. New York challenged a San Antonio team that has struggled with injuries much of the season -- playing without Manu Ginobili for the last five games -- and took it down to the wire behind Marbury’s leadership. Though the point guard only handed out two assists, he scored 16 points, including six in the fourth quarter. With Zach Randolph serving a one-game suspension, Eddy Curry led the Knicks in scoring with 25 points and adding 12 rebounds. This rematch of the 1999 NBA Finals was one of five finals rematches on the night.

There are plenty of sixth men who will put up gaudier stat lines. They score more points. They play a bigger role in the team’s offense. But Linas Kleiza is one of the best bench players in the association. While Manu Ginobili and Leandro Barbosa have the bigger roles and get more attention, Kleiza consistently does more in his limited opportunities. In just 21 minutes off the bench against the Timberwolves on Friday, Kleiza scored 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting.

In his second straight start, Mike Conley continued his solid play with 10 points and four assists against the Celtics. However, the Rookie Watch’s gaze fell on another Grizzlies' performer in Boston on Friday. Juan Carlos Navarro outshined Conley off the bench with 20 points. The 27-year-old Spaniard excelled down the stretch. His 13 points in the fourth quarter, eight in the final minute, helped Memphis pull to within four points in the final margin.

Randy Livingston has traveled the league, playing for 10 different NBA teams in his 12-year career in addition to stints in the CBA where he was named MVP in 1999. For the last two seasons, Livingston has been leading the Idaho Stampede. On Friday, the guard made sure to get himself and his teammates going in a 101-92 win over the Tulsa 66ers. Livingston put in 17 on his own, while dishing out 16 assists and grabbing six rebounds.