J.R. Smith, Nuggets
114-113 win at Heat
28 pts, 9-16 FG, 8-14 3-pt FG

Andres Nocioni, Bulls
100-86 loss vs. Hornets
27 pts, 8-15 FG, 2-5 3-pt FG, 10-11 FT

Peja Stojakovic, Hornets
100-86 win at Bulls
27 pts, 9-15 FG, 6-9 3-pt FG, 3-3 FT

Chris Paul already has proven that he can lead the Hornets to victory when he has an off-night shooting the rock. On Tuesday, CP3 had a hot-hand in leading New Orleans to a road win over Chicago. Paul posted 25 points and dished out 14 assists as the All-Star guard keeps proving why he’s always in the discussion for MVP honors. Entering Tuesday’s action, Paul was shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 87.6 from the foul line. Both are career highs.

Tayshaun Prince, Pistons
94-90 win at Hawks
6 pts, 2-10 FG, 0-1 3-pt FG

Joe Johnson, Hawks
94-90 loss vs. Pistons
11 pts, 3-13 FG, 0-3 3-pt FG

Richard Jefferson, Nets
92-88 win vs. Timberwolves
13 pts, 3-11 FG, 1-4 3-pt FG

The Pistons aren’t subscribing to the age-old theory that slow and steady wins the race. Instead Rasheed Wallace and his teammates are finding out that the early bird catches the worm. The Motor City Madmen got out of the blocks early again on Tuesday and it paid off as the Pistons rolled to their ninth straight victory by knocking off the Hawks. Wallace pumped in 15 of his 21 points in the opening quarter as Detroit raced to a 25-18 lead after one period. Detroit (38-13) is shedding its slow-starter label. In their previous two contests, the Pistons built early leads against the Blazers and Hornets. "This team has been criticized since I got here for starting slowly," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. "You can't say that about them right now." Tuesday’s win gave the Pistons their first sweep of the season series with the Hawks since 2000-01.

Carmelo Anthony can not get enough of playing against the Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade. Melo was at it again on Tuesday, posting 22 points and 11 rebounds as the Nuggets won a one-point overtime thriller for their seventh straight win over Miami. Anthony has won eight of 10 meetings against D-Wade since both entered the league in 2003. Melo was fresh off a 27-point performance in Sunday’s win over the Cavaliers and LeBron James, also part of the draft class of 2003. While Wade and James have enjoyed more postseason success, Anthony has gotten the better of the two in the regular season. He is 8-2 against LeBron’s Cavs, the reigning Eastern Conference champs. Melo has rebounded nicely from an ankle injury that slowed him in late January. In his previous five games entering Tuesday’s action, Anthony averaged 31.6 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting 55.7 percent from the field.

The Hawks, and the rest of the league as of late, have struggled to beat the Pistons. However, Rookie of the Year candidate Al Horford enjoyed another fine performance in Atlanta’s loss on Tuesday. Horford posted 12 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as the rook continues to impress. He had 15 points and 20 rebounds last Wednesday against the Lakers and is averaging a double-double over his past four games. … Juan Carlos Navarro played a big role in the Grizzlies’ victory over the Kings with 19 points and six rebounds. He was among six Memphis players in double figures as the Grizz avoided a seven-game losing streak.

Rajon Rondo certainly is doing his part in the absence of Kevin Garnett. Rondo is making significant contributions all over the floor, posting 12 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks as the Celtics earned a 104-97 road win over the Pacers on Tuesday. In Sunday’s win over the defending-champion Spurs, Rondo had a season-high 12 assists to go along with 11 rebounds, the third time he's led the Celtics (40-9) on the boards since Garnett went down. Boston has won four straight without KG, who also will miss the Celtics' home game against the Knicks on Wednesday, their last before the break.

Bostjan Nachbar continues to provide quality minutes off New Jersey’s bench. Nachbar posted double-digits for the fourth time in six games with 14 points in Tuesday’s home win over the Timberwolves. His 14 points mirrored his 14 minutes of action. It was one week ago that Nachbar had 19 points and 10 boards against the Lakers. All of the pregame talk centered on Jason Kidd, who is bidding to become only the third player to record 100 career triple-doubles, joining Oscar Robertson (181) and Magic Johnson (138). Kidd was one point and one assist shy of a triple-double in Tuesday’s win. Kidd posted nine points, nine assists and 10 rebounds.