Francisco Garcia, Kings
116-115 win (OT) at Bobcats
23 pts, 8-12 FG, 6-8 3-pt FG

Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks
98-83 win at Grizzlies
27 pts, 8-9 FG, 1-1 3-pt FG, 10-12 FT

Tracy McGrady, Rockets
100-80 win at Hornets
34 pts, 14-26 FG, 3-6 3-pt FG

Superstar LeBron James came up a bit short in his quest to become the 13th player in NBA history - and second this season - to post three straight triple-doubles. The NBA scoring leader totaled 33 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists - all game highs - while adding a steal and a block for good measure. He also was 9-of-14 from the line, draining two huge ones with 7.8 seconds left to give Cleveland a 90-89 home win over Washington.

Jannero Pargo, Hornets
100-80 loss vs. Rockets
2 pts, 1-9 FG, 0-2 3-pt FG

Al Harrington, Warriors
117-110 loss vs. Hawks
12 pts, 5-18 FG, 0-7 3-pt FG

Paul Pierce/Ray Allen, Celtics
85-77 loss at Suns
19 pts, 5-25 FG, 3-10 3-pt FG

It has been a long season for the New York Knicks. Some of the enduring lowlights include the seemingly endless Stephon Marbury saga, a number of protests by fans and the continued demands to "Fire Isiah," both at home and on the road. They are headed to the draft lottery for the sixth time in seven seasons and still have a boatload of bad contracts. But one glimmer of hope has been the play of Jamal Crawford, who somehow remains upbeat and continues to produce with dissension and dispassion swirling around him. In Friday's 103-99 home win over Toronto, Crawford scored a season-high 43 points. The combo guard made 15-of-29 shots, including 6-of-16 from the arc, setting a team record for 3-point attempts while adding five assists. The slender guard scored 21 points in the second quarter, helping the Knicks climb back into the game. "I didn't want to let the game get away from us," said Crawford, whose career high of 50 also came vs. Toronto on April 11, 2004. "In Philadelphia it got away from us and we weren't able to recover." Wrapping up his eighth season, Crawford has career highs in minutes (41.7), free-throw percentage (.866) and points (20.2). The Knicks need 14 more guys like him.

There was plenty of positive vibe coming out of Portland earlier this season, with a lot of it coming from this otherwise excellent web site, whose founder admits to being a raging Trail Blazers fan. But the party's over, folks. Friday's 99-87 loss in Seattle was Portland's sixth in seven games, with the only win in that stretch a hang-on-for-dear-life job Thursday at home against the same depleted Sonics squad. There is a minority opinion that the recent struggles by the Trail Blazers are tied to the injury to James Jones, but we're not buying it. Good teams - not to be confused with teams that were good for a month - withstand the absence of a reserve averaging 9.1 points per game, regardless of that player's Performance Efficiency Rating, whatever that is. If you subtract the magical, inexplicable 17-1 stretch they enjoyed from December 3-January 9, the Blazers are just 12-25. Five games out of the last playoff spot in the West, Portland's next six games include a visit from Boston, two games with the Lakers and meetings at Golden State and vs. Phoenix, all of which precedes a five-game road trip. Nate McMillan may have to come up with another creative coaching plan, because that is the only way the Blazers are getting to the playoffs this season.

Most folks have Rookie of the Year balloting as a two-horse race between Seattle's Kevin Durant and Atlanta's Al Horford, including our resident expert. However, Clippers swingman Al Thornton scored 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting in Friday's 114-104 home win over Utah and is averaging 15.0 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 47.2 percent since January 1. In the same stretch, Durant's numbers are 18.8, 4.0 and 39.3 while Horford's are 9.1, 10.1 and 44.3. Sounds like a three-horse race to me.

Denver Nuggets guard J.R. Smith came off the bench to make 15-of-25 shots - including 8-of-14 from the arc - and score a career-high 43 points Friday in Chicago. But he was upstaged by Bulls guard Ben Gordon, who also came off the bench to score 37 points on 12-of-18 shooting, including 6-of-10 from the arc. That was more than enough to give Chicago a 135-121 victory. For Smith, he will have to take solace in the fact that his performance put him in v ery rare company with a current teammate.

Iowa Energy guard Mike Efevberha came into Friday's game at Austin averaging a solid 15.1 points with a season high of 28. Perhaps inspired by the "Obam a Boogie," Efevberha displayed some moves of his own, erupting for a season-high 41 points on 15-of-29 shooting, including 7-of-11 3-pointers. Efevberha also added seven rebounds, three steals and two assists. The outburst helped Iowa to a 106-91 victory over Austin that snapped a three-game losing streak.