Ron Artest, Kings
99-98 win vs Rockets
30 pts, 12-26 FG, 4-7 3-pt FG

Morris Peterson, Hornets
98-97 win at Magic
19 pts, 7-9 FG, 5-6 3-pt FG

Leandro Barbosa, Suns
126-120 loss at Nuggets
27 pts, 11-16 FG, 5-8 3-pt FG

Philadelphia keeps racking up the wins and Andre Iguodala continues to notch the stats. Iggy went off again on Tuesday, tallying 17 points, 10 assists and six rebounds to lift the Sixers over the Nets and push them to their 20th victory in their last 27 games. He got some help from Louis Williams, who hit three consecutive baskets in the final 3:47 to seal the deal and put Philadelphia seven games ahead of New Jersey in the East.

Stephen Jackson, Warriors
116-92 loss at Spurs
6 pts, 2-12 FG

Rashad McCants, Wolves
94-90 loss vs Pistons
2 pts, 1-9 FG, 0-2 3-pt FG

Peja Stojakovic, Hornets
98-97 win at Magic
10 pts, 2-11 FG, 1-5 3-pt FG

With their postseason dreams hanging in the balance it was time for Denver to get serious. After relinquishing a 22-point advantage the day before in Phoenix, the Nuggets watched a 14-point home lead disappear and the Suns pull ahead for the first time in the game with just over three minutes to go behind Steve Nash Tuesday. It seemed like déjà vu. But instead of rolling over and playing dead like they did the previous night, Denver took control of its playoff destiny and pulled out a win. Marcus Camby hit a go-ahead jumper with 37 ticks left in the fourth and Carmelo Anthony drained two free throws down the stretch to seal the Nuggets' ninth straight home victory. Their triumph combined with the Warriors loss to the Spurs gave Denver sole possession of eighth place in the West. "I love playing back-to-back games, especially after a loss,'' said Allen Iverson. "You get a chance to get at it again and try to make sure you don't have the same nightmares from the night before."

It's simple to label West an elite conference. Why you ask? It's not just that a 50-win team will likely miss the playoffs or that the current ninth seed would be fourth in the East. And no they don't vacation in the Hamptons. It comes down to fact that the rich keep getting richer, wins-wise that is. If you were expecting San Antonio or New Orleans to blink on Tuesday, you were wrong. Both squads held up their ends of the bargain, notching their 52nd and 51st triumphs respectively. In San Antonio, Tony Parker led the Spurs with 26 points as they outscored the Warriors by 11 in the final frame to cruise to victory. While in Orlando, Peja Stojakovic fired off six points in the final minute to help the Hornets edge the Magic. Rising MVP candidate Chris Paul did his share, chipping in 19 points and 12 assists. With New Orleans remaining just percentage points ahead of San Antonio in what could be a photo finish, anything sub-par down the stretch in the West just won't do.

Often we hear that a team gets a good look at their future when one of their promising young players steps up and performs on the professional level. But on Tuesday, the Pistons got a true glimpse of what's to come. Not only did Detroit's talented rookie shine, but he did it on a night when it was without veteran stars Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace. Rodney Stuckey had his best game since entering the league, firing off a career-high 27 points, including the go-ahead shot with 45.3 seconds left, to help the Pistons overcome a 21-point deficit and shock the Timberwolves. Rookie Cheikh Samb added a season-best four points and three rebounds in his first action since early November.

Playing the role of hero once was not enough for Bobby Simmons against the Knicks on Tuesday. Trying to get out of his coach's doghouse after being benched for four straight games, Simmons drained what looked to be the game-winning shot with just 1.8 ticks left in the fourth. However, Ramon Sessions accidentally fouled Quentin Richardson, who made two free throws with one second remaining to force overtime. But, 'Silky' would not be denied. Simmons ripped off the first six points of the extra session to finally finish off New York. "For Bobby to come out tonight after he had games where he hasn't played is being professional about it," Andrew Bogut said. "He deserves every shot he made tonight."

There may have been no games on Tuesday, but there was still plenty of D-League action to talk about. After falling 4.5 games behind the Hawks in the Eastern Conference playoff race, the Bulls recalled guard Shannon Brown and forward Cedric Simmons from the Iowa Energy in an effort to bring depth and youth to an underachieving roster. Although neither player saw any action in Chicago's loss to the Celtics, which dropped it five back, look for Brown to see a lot of the court down the stretch, especially after averaging 25.7 points per game over his six D-League contests. The Spurs also dug in to the D-League pool, signing forward Bobby Jones of the Sioux Falls Skyfoce to a 10-day contract.