Los Angeles Lakers 106, Charlotte 97: Pau Gasol enjoyed his best all-around game with the Lakers - 9-for-11, 26 points, six assists, six boards - and Kobe added 31 points as the Lakers improved to 4-1 since acquiring the best player in Memphis history.

Philadelphia 84, Dallas 76: The 76ers seem to have started their second-half run a bit early this year, huh? That’s four wins in a row, and amazingly, Philly’s just 1/2 a game out of the 8th playoff spot in the East. Nice of Dallas not to show up on back-to-back nights against mediocre foes, huh?

San Antonio 93, Toronto 88: Another spectacular night for one of the most underrated players in the league, Manu Ginobili: 34 points, 15 rebounds and six assists. He’s averaging career highs in points, rebounds and assists.

Cleveland 118, Orlando 111: Larry Hughes farted in the general direction of the website that disparages him nightly (and rightly so!), and went for 40. Obviously, now nobody wants to trade the chucker for Jason Kidd.

Houston 95, Portland 83: After a torrid January, the Blazers have lost four of six in February, though Brandon Roy sat out two of those losses. At 28-23, that would be good for 5th in the East; sadly, they are only 10th in the stacked West. Houston’s quietly won seven in a row, but only three came against teams over .500.