Rafer Alston scored 5 points in 8 minutes but did not play after the first quarter despite not being injured.  It is my understanding that Alston left Gund Arena after being benched!  Milt Palacio,   Alston's backup played 40 minutes and had 14 pts, 9 ast, and 2 sts.  In Palacio's previous 5 games he had been averaging 6.2 apg on the strength of extra minutes made available with Alston's two game suspension.  Alston is apparently still out of favor with Raptor coach Sam Mitchell leaving open the possibility of Palacio getting more extra playing time.  I would anticipate another suspension is forthcoming for Alston.  While Palacio will always not have a dependable supply of minutes with Alston on the roster, one must speculate the Raptors might want to trade Alston and open up regular playing time for Palacio.  Of course this scenario is a long shot.  Palacio has been a reserve for his 6.5 yrs in the NBA consisting of stints with 5 teams.

Drew Gooden played only 18 minutes as Robert Traylor got hot and the Cavs could afford to rest Gooden in this blowout game.  Expect Gooden to go back to his regular playing time.

Tim Duncan sat out for the first time this season with a sprained ankle.  The Spurs certainly did not need him to beat Charlotte and I expect to see him play tomorrow night against Washington.  Rasho Nesterovic played for the first time since January 21 and was 7-9 FG for 15 pts and 8 reb in only 22 minutes.

Adonal Foyle has blocked at least one shot in his last 16 games.  On Tuesday night he had 15 pts, 8 reb, and 3 bl.  In his previous ten games he has averaged 2.1 bpg but typically does not contribute much beyond blocks.

Kelvin Cato had his best game since returning from a severe sinus condition.  He started and played 28 mpg.  He had 12 pts, 8 reb, 2 st, and 2 bl.  This performance could have significance in that it could put an end to the extended minutes Tony Battie had been playing.  Battie had averaged 37.6 mpg in his previous five games and was averaging nearly a double double to go with 1.6 bpg.  On Tues night Battie played only 20 minutes and scored only 2 pts.  Battie may go back to having the mediocre value he had! through most of January.

Minnesota's tough season continued with a loss to Memphis.  Wally Szczerbiak improved on his 51.5% season FG% going 9-12 FG for 19 points and 2 bl.  The 2 blocks are a bonus for his owners as he averages only 0.2 bpg.  On ESPN's NBA nation this evening it was suggested that the Wolves might trade Wally as their season is pretty much lost.  This scenario gives Szczerbiak a potential upside.

Lorenzen Wright played 40 minutes and had 18 pts, 12 reb, and 3 st.  He also got over 40 minutes three games ago but these 40+ minutes games were sandwiched around games of only 16 minutes and 19 minutes.  Such are the pitfalls of the Grizzly rotation.  Wright's minutes will become more unreliable when Pau Gasol returns from a foot injury but no timetable has been established yet for his return.

Sam Cassell played only 7 minutes after his hamstring tightened Tues evening allowing Troy Hudson the opportunity to play 31 minutes and rack up 13 pts and 8 ast.   Hudson last cracked the 30 minute mark on Feb 2 when Cassell left the game with a shoulder injury.

Mike James scored 28 points including 8 treys in a game that was a blowout.  Although James is coming off a 22 pt game against Washington, you should not expect similar future performances as the Wizards game was a blow out also.  In a close game, James will likely produce mediocre numbers as usual.

Josh Howard posted his second consecutive strong game.  He appears to finally be recovered from ailments that have been hampering him since December.

Luol Deng logged a season high 46 minutes to post his second consecutive strong game for the Bulls.  Deng finished with 30 pts and 11 reb.

Derek Fisher  had 25 pts, 6 ast, and 4 treys as Golden State went with a small lineup with Troy Murphy out.  Murphy will likely be out until next week with a hairline fracture in his thumb.