Chris Paul, Hornets
100-88 win at Knicks
27 pts, 11-17 FG, 2-3 3-pt FG

Louis Williams, Sixers
106-80 win at Clippers
16 pts, 7-10 FG, 2-2 3-pt FG

Carlos Boozer, Jazz
116-110 win vs. Mavs
28 pts, 12-29 FG, 4-4 FT

Deron Williams may have not cracked the top 10 in the MVP race just yet. But by the end of the week something tells he me he will. Forget that the Jazz are on a 16-game home winning streak or that they have climbed to the top of the Northwest Division, on his statistics alone Williams is worthy of a top spot. He backed that point Monday by notching 17 points and 20 assists to lift Utah over Dallas, outshining another player familiar to this category, Jason Kidd.

David Lee, Knicks
100-88 loss vs. Hornets
4 pts, 2-9 FG, 0-2 FT

Quinton Ross, Clippers
106-80 loss vs. Sixers
4 pts, 2-9 FG, 0-2 3-pt FG

Corey Maggette, Clippers
106-80 loss vs. Sixers
16 pts, 4-13 FG, 0-1 3-pt FG

Chances are if you swung by the NBA.com office at night you'd hear an ongoing debate about the toughest venue for opposing teams to play in. It's been argued in just about every direction for countless seasons now, but we may finally have a definitive answer. Chalk one up for Utah. After surging past the division-rival Mavericks on Monday, the Jazz notched their 16th straight home triumph, their longest streak since 1995-96. It also gave Utah the advantage over the Mavericks -- they were previously tied -- for best home record in the league this season as they improved to an astounding 26-3. The Salt Lake City crowd stayed behind the Jazz, even after Dallas stormed back from a 21-point deficit. Utah used it to its advantage, following up with a 16-0 late fourth-quarter run to assure a victory. "It was a playoff atmosphere," said forward Carlos Boozer, who poured in a game-best 28 points.

While Deron Williams was busy helping Utah rack up its 16th consecutive home triumph, draftmate Chris Paul was responsible for getting New Orleans its 40th victory, surpassing its entire total from the previous season. Paul drilled two buckets down the stretch and set up Tyson Chandler with an alley-oop slam as the Hornets closed out the contest on a 10-0 run to pull away from the Knicks. "That's what great players do," Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "Either make a play for themselves or make a play for their teammates. He did a real good job of getting to the basket. And when he wasn't getting to the basket he was finding open guys." The All-Star guard finished with 27 points to go along with eight assists, while Chandler added 15 points and 18 rebounds. It was New Orleans sixth consecutive win against New York and its fourth straight at Madison Square Garden.

This late in the season with the Knicks likely out of the playoff hunt, it is a great time for Isiah Thomas to evaluate some of his young talent. With rookie Wilson Chandler and second-year center Randolph Morris on the roster, New York is not void of future potential. While Morris was unable to find a rhythm with his time on the court -- he went 0-of-3 in just over nine minutes -- Chandler was able to put up some numbers. The rookie forward out of DePaul tallied six points and four rebounds on Monday to keep the Knicks close before succumbing to the Hornets. It will be interesting to see how much time Thomas allocates to their development over the remainder of the season.

Watch out for the Sixers. Yes, you read that right the Sixers. That team that resides in Philadelphia. After flying under the radar for the majority of the season, the Sixers have won 10 of their last 13 games. The last of which came on Monday when they pounded the Clippers. A large part of their recent success is due to the bench play of Louis Williams and Rodney Carney. The duo was at it again, combining for 28 points off the pine against Los Angeles. Williams went a scorching 7-of-10 from the field, while dishing out a game-high eight dimes. The win snapped a four-game losing streak for Phildaelphia against the Clippers and gave Maurice Cheeks his 100th victory as the team's coach.

Normally this spot is devoted to D-League action. But with no games on the night and a major transaction taking place in the WNBA, it only seems fair that we give the ladies some love. The Storm made a major move to complement All-Star Lauren Jackson on Monday by going out and acquiring forward Sheryl Swoopes. The three-time WNBA MVP, who led the Houston Comets to four consecutive WNBA titles, now looks to revitalize her career in Seattle alongside Jackson and Sue Bird. Although she has averaged 16.8 points per game in her 10-year career, Swoopes watched her average drop to 7.7 -- her lowest since her rookie season -- after a injury limited her to just three games.