Denver 118, Dallas 105: The Mavericks were blitzed 58-35 in the second half and now are just 1/2 a game ahead of the Warriors and one game ahead of the Nuggets in the contest for the 7th playoff spot in the West. You know they won’t be able to hold onto it. Will Cuban show mercy on Avery because of Dirk’s injury, or will it get ugly? And don’t you just love how the NBA stepped in and told Mark Cuban that he must open his locker room to bloggers? Priceless quote from Cubes: “…We will encourage all bloggers to apply, whether they be someone on blogspot who has been posting for a couple weeks, kids blogging for their middle school Web site or those that work for big companies.”

Golden State 111, Portland 95: An early deficit gave off the impression that maybe the Warriors were overlooking the Brandon Roy-less Blazers, which would have been understandable, since Denver Dallas, San Antonio and Dallas are looming on the schedule. Stephen Jackson would have none of it, and he scored 14 during the Warriors 40-point third quarter outburst to help the home team pull away.

Detroit 85, Miami 69: Be honest – where does this starting five rank in the annals of weakest starting lineups in NBA history (not hyperbole, promise): Chris Quinn, Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Kasib Powell, and Earl Barron. With the exception of Davis, who is easily one of the most petulant and selfish players the NBA has seen this decade, and Blount, a gifted but soft player, the other three could easily be in the NBDL. We’re not kidding when we ask – could the current Heat team, minus Wade and Marion, who are hurt, take down UNC?