David West, Hornets
113-106 win vs. Celtics
37 pts, 15-25 FG, 7-7 FT

Shaquille O'Neal, Suns
122-113 win at Rockets
23 pts, 8-10 FG, 7-9 FT

Mo Williams, Bucks
108-98 win vs. Cavaliers
29 pts, 9-11 FG, 1-1 3-pt FG, 10-12 FT

As a fellow Pirate, I always keep an eye out for Samuel Dalembert. With the Nets in town, Dalembert did the people of South Orange, N.J., proud on Saturday, tallying 11 points and 18 rebounds to go with five blocked shots in the Sixers’ 91-87 home win. Averaging 10 and 10 on the season, Dalembert just about had that by halftime and cruised to his 23rd double-double of the season. The center also added one assist and one steal, for good measure.

Anderson Varejao, Cavaliers
108-98 loss at Bucks
2 pts, 1-10 FG

Al Thornton, Clippers
83-72 loss vs. Blazers
5 pts, 2-11 FG, 0-2 3-pt FG

Larry Hughes, Bulls
108-101 loss vs. Pacers
7 pts, 2-11 FG, 0-1 3-pt FG, 3-6 FT

If Saturday’s matchup between the Hornets and the Celtics is in fact a preview of the NBA Finals, we could be in for some extra excitement come June. On the tail end of a grueling road trip that did nothing to slow down the red-hot Celtics, Boston came out and shot 75 percent from the field, 66 percent from 3-point range, in the first quarter. Rajon Rondo looked like he was out to prove that Chris Paul wasn’t the only premier point guard in the lineup, going right at the All-Star from the tip. Rondo tallied 11 of his 23 points in the first quarter as the Celtics built a 36-23 lead. As the C’s shooters began to cool, however, the Hornets began to catch up. Perhaps the five-game road trip caught up with Boston’s shooters because the Hornets held a 32-17 advantage in the fourth quarter to take the lead and pull away for a 113-106 win.

The Rockets were the hottest team in the NBA. The Suns ARE the hottest team. After rocketing to the top of the West with a 22-game winning streak, Houston has lost three of its last four games, including Saturday’s loss at Phoenix. The Rockets have dropped to fifth as the Suns vault into third. Houston will need to snap out of this funk or they will find themselves freefalling out of the playoffs. Yao Ming said that in his absence it is Tracy McGrady’s turn to put the team on his back. McGrady tried on Saturday, dumping in 30 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, but his shooting was spotty at best. With Yao out, the Suns' reconfigured front court exploded. Amare Stoudemire scored a game-high 38 points, including 20-of-20 shooting from the free throw line. It looks like the shooting touch may have also rubbed off on Shaquille O’Neal, who scored 23 points, 7-of-9 from the line.

While many other teams floundering at the bottom of the standings seem to be packing it in for a high pick, checking out younger players or just guarding against injury, the Minnesota Timberwolves are still going all out, winning three of their last four. Rashad McCants came off the bench in the Wolves’ 114-93 win over the Knicks to contribute 24 points, including 20 in the first half.

When the Bulls traded Ben Wallace in February, it cleared the way for Joakim Noah to start and paid immediate dividends with a double-double against the Nuggets. Since then Noah’s production and minutes have gone up and down, but they have been more down than up recently. The minutes were still down (23) on Saturday, but Noah contributed 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the Bulls’ loss to Indiana.

It looks like Mateen Cleaves saves his best basketball for March Madness. The former Spartan led Michigan State to the National Championship in 2000, earning Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four, and notched a 20-point, 21-assist performance earlier this month. Cleaves led the Jam past the Utah Flash for a 109-108 win on Saturday, scoring 43 points and dishing out 10 assists.