Tracy McGrady, Rockets
91-83 win at Bucks
33 pts, 14-27 FG, 2-5 3-pt FG

Ben Gordon, Bulls
105-101 loss at Kings
33 pts, 10-19 FG, 3-4 3-pt FG, 10-10 FT

Jason Richardson, Bobcats
117-101 loss at Nuggets
38 pts, 14-25 FG, 6-11 3-pt FG, 4-6 FT

LeBron James did not take long to get back in the swing of things. King James was superb in Saturday’s home victory over the Clippers. James posted 28 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists after missing a game with a sprained right ankle. He missed Thursday’s 101-95 loss to Seattle after injuring the ankle the previous night against the Blazers. He announced 45 minutes before Saturday’s game that he would be in the lineup.

Yi Jianlian, Bucks
91-83 loss vs. Rockets
6 pts, 1-10 FG, 0-1 3-pt FG

Nate Robinson, Knicks
86-85 loss at Sonics
5 pts, 0-9 FG, 0-6 3-pt FG

Mike Bibby, Kings
105-101 win vs. Bulls
4 pts, 1-9 FG, 0-1 3-pt FG

Super Bowl XLII will be watched by millions of NFL fans all over the United States and overseas on Sunday. The ‘Big One’ has nothing on the mega matchup that took place in the NBA on Saturday. The clash between Yao Ming’s Rockets and Yi Jianlian’s Bucks drew an estimated audience of 200 million in China, which saw the Rockets beat the Bucks behind Tracy McGrady’s 33 points. Yao had a dozen points and rebounds as he bested his good buddy Yi for the second time this season. While other sports have made a push to reach the Chinese audience, basketball has gained a stronghold on the market. Chinese sports authorities estimate the number of basketball players in China between 250 and 300 million. When Yao and Yi squared off for the first time in November, the Rockets prevailed 104-88 in Houston. The TV audience in China for that one reached 200 million, a little over twice the worldwide audience for the 2007 Super Bowl.

What a difference nearly a month has made for the Utah Jazz. Since hovering around the .500 mark in early January, the Jazz have been on a hot streak and have re-emerged as a contender in the rugged Western Conference. A big reason for the turnaround is Carlos Boozer. The All-Star forward posted in 19 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday’s 110-91 road win over the Grizzlies. Utah owns the NBA’s longest current winning streak by winning eight straight for the first time since Nov. 10-24, 2006. The Jazz (29-18) are outscoring their opponents by an average of 11.5 points during their current run. Utah once had the ninth-best record in the West at 18-17 on Jan. 5 and trailed Northwest Division leader Denver by 3½ games. The Jazz now hold a one-game division lead over the Nuggets, who beat the Bobcats for their eighth straight home win on Saturday. The two teams meet Wednesday, Feb. 6 in Denver.

Kevin Durant got involved on both ends of the floor in Saturday’s 86-85 win over the Knicks. Durant posted 21 points, draining the go-ahead 3-pointer with 59 seconds left. On the next possession, Jamal Crawford drove by Durant for a running jumper in the lane to make it a one-point game with 44.7 seconds to go. On the next trip down the floor, Durant got a little sloppy with his dribble and his turnover gave the Knicks one last shot. Thankfully for Seattle, Nate Robinson’s long-range trey with one tick left was no good and the Sonics celebrated their first three-game winning streak of the season.

Carmelo Anthony sure looked like his old self on Saturday. Back in the Nuggets lineup after missing the previous five games with a sprained left ankle, Melo posted 25 points as Denver rolled to a 117-101 home win over the Charlotte Bobcats. “It didn't hurt at all,” said Anthony, who was injured against the Lakers on Jan. 21. “It felt good to be back.” The Nuggets were certainly glad to have him. "When he is not in the lineup, it makes it tougher for me,'' Allen Iverson said. It was like old times when Anthony threw down a reverse jam and landed on his left foot in the first half.

Cory Violette may not have had gaudy numbers of the night, but his 20 points were instrumental in the Idaho Stampede making D-League history. Violette sank a pair of free throws down the stretch as the Stampede ousted the Arsenal for a new league record 16th straight victory to eclipse the previous mark of 15 set by the Greeneville Groove during the 2001-02 season. It wasn’t looking like it would be a historic night early on as Idaho trailed by 12 at the half before kicking into high gear. Violette had 11 points in the second half as the Stampede outscored the Arsenal 54-38 over the final two quarters.