By Chris Bernucca

April 3, 2008: SCOREBOARD | IN FOCUS GALLERY | AROUND THE ASSOCIATION ARCHIVE

PHOTO OF THE NIGHT
Happy 27th Birthday to budding two-sport athlete DeShawn Stevenson. Love the Chucks. Here's hoping your ankle injury doesn't put an end to your consecutiv e games played streak.
Ned Dishman/NBAE/Getty Images
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
Maurice Cheeks "There are times when I go yell at players and there are times when I put my arm around them. My personality has been that way for 51 years and it's not going to change because I became the head coach." -- 76ers coach Maurice Cheeks, who hasn't always been his usual soft-spoken self in piloting Philadelphia to the verge of its first postseason berth in three years.
THE DAY'S TOP VIDEO
Thursday's top play: LeBron James breaks a tackle and sweeps left.
  • Haier Play of the Day
  • Dunk of the Night
  • Block of the Night
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  • Assist of the Night
  • Steal of the Night
  • NBA TV Top 10
    • NBA.COM'S FANTASY TAKE
    Elton Brand When Elton Brand had Achilles tendon surgery in August, fantasy owners in keeper leagues smartly bailed on the 20-10-2 machine, who was rumored to miss the entire season. But Brand returned Wednesday and played again Thursday, collecting 15 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in a loss at Sacramento. A free agent this summer, Brand is showing GMs he is still the same player. He's also showing fantasy players that he should be a first-round pick next season. Want more insight? Take a look at our Fantasy Index.
    SHOOTING STUDS
    Tracy McGrady Tracy McGrady, Rockets
    95-86 win at Trail Blazers
    35 pts, 14-29 FG, 4-6 3-pt FG

    Francisco Garcia, Kings
    110-98 win vs. Clippers
    17 pts, 7-9 FG, 3-3 FT

    Kevin Martin, Kings
    110-98 win vs. Clippers
    26 pts, 8-14 FG, 4-6 3-pt FG, 6-8 FT

    STAT SHEET STUFFER
    Brad Miller At first glance, Brad Miller's line from Thursday's win doesn't seem so special. Six points on 2-of-7 shooting? But despite sitting out the last 14 minutes, Miller needed just one assist, one steal and two blocks to complete a "five-by-five" - at least five points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks in the same game. Although it doesn't sound sexy, five-by-fives have been accomplished by just three active players, and there have been just 14 in the last 22 years.
    SHOOTING DUDS
    Travis Outlaw Travis Outlaw, Trail Blazers
    95-86 loss vs. Rockets
    14 pts, 5-18 FG

    Josh Powell, Clippers
    110-98 loss at Kings
    1 pt, 0-6 FG, 1-4 FT

    Al Thornton, Clippers
    110-98 loss at Kings
    8 pts, 3-14 FG, 0-1 3-pt FG

    HUGHES GUYS WERE TOO HARD ON LARRY
    Larry Hughes While in Cleveland, Larry Hughes didn't exactly endear himself to Cavaliers fans. Carrying a big contract, Hughes' perimeter shooting was so consistently inconsistent that a frustrated fan started this web site. Upon returning to Cleveland after being traded to Chicago, Hughes sounded as if scoring was more important than winning. Hughes was back on the banks of Lake Erie again Thursday and - for one night - silenced his countless critics at The Q. In a 101-98 win, he scored 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting, many of them mid-range jumpers. Hughes had 15 points in the third quarter, helping the Bulls peck away at a 17-point deficit. He added nine assists, eight rebounds and two steals for good measure as Chicago beat playoff-bound Cleveland for the second time in three meetings this season.
    TO THE SPOILERS GO THE VICTORIES?
    Kevin Martin Thursday's home win over the Clippers concluded the JV portion of the schedule for the Sacramento Kings, who could have a huge say in the playoff hopes and seedings of Western Conference teams. The Kings have gone 35-40 this season despite playing in the West under a rookie coach without - for long stretches - Kevin Martin, Mike Bibby, Ron Artest and Beno Udrih. With a chance at finishing .500 or better, Sacramento plays six of its last seven games against teams chasing playoff spots in the West. There are road games against Denver, Golden State and the Lakers and home contests vs. the Lakers, New Orleans and San Antonio. With wins at a premium in the West, the Kings could do some serious re-arranging of the standings between now and April 16 - and possibly destroy the playoff dreams of a team or two.
    ROOKIE WATCH
    Nick Fazekas Any regular ATA reader knows how much this writer likes Al Thornton and his Ron Paul-like candidacy for Rookie of the Year. On Thursday, Thornton wasn't even the best rookie on the Clippers. That honor went to Nick Fazekas, who scored a season-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting in a 110-98 loss. The 6-11 forward has had a rough season, falling out of the first round on draft day and being relegated to the D-League and waived by Dallas before signing with the lottery-bound Clippers. It was a nice effort by Fazekas, who needs something to build on.
    SIXTH MAN OF THE NIGHT
    Bobby Jackson Bobby Jackson knows a little bit about being an effective sixth man. In each of his six stops, the 11-year veteran combo guard has always embraced the role of supersub rather than grumble about playing time. So when Rockets point guard Rafer Alston was unable to go Thursday in Portland, Jackson moved into the starting lineup and collected 11 points and four assists without committing a turnover in a 95-86 win. Rookie Aaron Brooks stepped into Jackson's reserve role and contributed 12 points and three assists of turnover-free play.
    D-LEAGUE STAR OF THE NIGHT
    Tony Gipson Dakota Wizards guard Tony Gipson could not have picked a better time for his best game of the season. The 6-1 point guard - who had reached double figures just once in his previous four games - scored 14 of his season-high 29 points in the fourth quarter, when the Wizards erupted for 42 points and rallied for a crucial 118-105 victory at Iowa. It was a huge win for Dakota (27-20), which tied Sioux Falls atop the Central Division and moved and moved 1 1/2 games in front of Austin (25-21) and Tulsa (25-21) for a wild card berth in the D-League playoffs.