Dallas Mavericks	121	Final (30T) Recap | Box score	123	Utah Jazz

MVP: Playing 54 minutes in the triple-overtime game, Al Jefferson hit huge shots and set a team record with a beastly 26 rebounds to go along with 28 points to outshine a stellar performance from Dirk Nowitzki (40 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists).

X factor: Midseason Jazz pickup DeMarre Carroll started, played 45 minutes, and had six assists, a steal and four rebounds -- including a huge offensive rebound to ice the game. Oh, and he had a root canal earlier in the day.

That was ... unsanitary: Delonte West followed up a hard foul on Gordon Hayward with a strange decision to stick a finger in Hayward's ear. West claimed afterward that he was merely trying to clean some lint.

San Antonio Spurs	120	Final Recap | Box score	99	Golden St. Warriors

MVP: You could pick and choose any number of Spurs players for MVP on Monday night, but Tiago Splitter's understanding of spacing and timing is a perfect example of why the Spurs won. He was aggressive and deliberate but patient. In short, everything the Warriors' rookies were not but should strive to be.

LVP: Warriors fans came to boo Stephen Jackson, but DeJuan Blair might be public enemy No. 1 for denying Warriors fans free food by taking a charge in the closing seconds.

Defining moment: The Warriors tried to deliver for fans, intentionally fouling to get a shot for free food. It ended with an offensive foul and a disappointing night for fans.

Por. Trail Blazers	107	Final Recap | Box score	125	Phoenix Suns

That was ... predictable: The Suns' win moved them into a tie for the West's final playoff spot while Portland chose to start Jonny Flynn and Luke Babbitt. Considering the stakes for both teams, the outcome was no surprise.

MVP: After Portland cut the Phoenix lead to three midway through the second, Channing Frye scored 12 points during a 21-9 run that essentially put the game out of reach by halftime.

X factor: The Suns' bench has carried them of late, but on Monday night, the starters dominated. The starting unit shot 68 percent while four players scored between 16 and 20 points, and Steve Nash dished 13 assists in three quarters.

New Jersey Nets	98	Final Recap | Box score	101	Miami Heat

MVP: Rather obviously the guy who scored 17 points in the last 5:35 of the game. LeBron James came off the bench in the fourth quarter and took the Heat from down five to their third straight win. He had 37 points for the game with seven assists and six rebounds.

Defining moment: James had five baskets within 3 feet of the hoop during the fourth quarter, but the most remarkable might have been his driving left-handed power layup right through Kris Humphries, who is one of the few forwards in the league who can match James' size. That basket with 51 seconds left gave the Heat their first lead of the game.

That was ... almost a mistake: With the Heat on a run with six minutes left, James said he thought coach Erik Spoelstra was going to just leave him on the bench for the rest of the night. He'd sat for the first half of the fourth quarter. But the Nets opened another lead, and Spoelstra called James' number.

Washington Wizards	87	Final Recap | Box score	84	Chicago Bulls

MVP: Kevin Seraphin filled the stat sheet. He scored 21 points, grabbed 13 rebounds (eight offensive) and blocked five shots. An honorable mention goes to Maurice Evans, who scored 14 points off the bench.

LVP: Kyle Korver came back to earth against Washington, going 0-for-4 from the field and recording a game-worst minus-14 plus/minus. If Korver isn't hitting shots, he's not much help to the Bulls.

X factor: The two most telling stats were fast-break points and points in the paint. Washington dominated in both categories, outscoring the Bulls 20-2 on the break and 48-22 in the paint.

Denver Nuggets	105	Final Recap | Box score	102	Houston Rockets

MVP: The Nuggets' backcourt. Arron Afflalo and Ty Lawson combined for 51 points to carry Denver on a night it got little scoring from its frontcourt.

LVP: Kevin McHale. The Rockets' coach still has not found a way to stop the bleeding in third quarters, as his club has fallen apart during that frame in four straight games.

That was ... painful: In this critical battle for playoff positioning, the Rockets dropped both games of the back-to-back against the Nuggets. That could be their season.

New Orleans Hornets	75	Final Recap | Box score	67	Charlotte Bobcats

MVP: Carl Landry scored 14 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in one of the most embarrassing games he'll ever have to admit to being a part of. Landry was questionable going into Monday night and came off the bench for New Orleans to ultimately make the difference for the Hornets in 22:50 minutes of action.

Defining moment: I wouldn't classify it as a moment, but the third quarter certainly defined what type of game this was. The two teams combined to shoot 15 percent (6-for-40) in the quarter. It was shocking to see two NBA teams miss that many consecutive shots and almost drove me to the point of having to turn away.

That was ... painful, pitiful, pathetic. Take your pick. The Hornets were without Eric Gordon and Chris Kaman, so I'll give them a pass, plus they won. The Bobcats, on the other hand, oh my. This team is without a doubt one of the worst in NBA history. Even if Charlotte does win one of its final six games and avoids the mark of lowest winning percentage in NBA history, I'm just not so sure this team isn't really the worst ever. Every night it gets harder to watch the Bobcats play.

Atlanta Hawks	109	Final Recap | Box score	87	Toronto Raptors

MVP: Jeff Teague is the only Atlanta guard who can get in the lane and reduce the team's reliance on jump shots to score. He didn't do that Sunday, and the Hawks lost badly to the Raptors. On Monday, Teague made five baskets at the rim, scored 19 points and earned 10 assists to lead the Hawks to a blowout victory in Toronto.

X factor: Ivan Johnson has his hands full trying to make up for the absence of both Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia. For one night, he filled all four of their shoes, scoring 21 points, grabbing eight rebounds and just generally delivering a shot of adrenaline to a Hawks team that trailed the Raptors for much of the first half.

LVP: With Justin Dentmon not signed to a second 10-day contract after Sunday night's game and the game-time decision regarding Jose Calderon being not to play him, Gary Forbes got pressed into backup point guard duty. It wasn't pretty: 3-for-12 from the floor, 0 assists, 0 rebounds, 4 turnovers in 23 minutes.

Minn. Timberwolves	88	Final Recap | Box score	111	Indiana Pacers

MVP: Roy Hibbert. There were plenty of solid performances to choose from, but Hibbert's interior presence had the most impact. His five blocks and 11 rebounds were both game highs as he controlled the paint for an astounding plus-34 on the night.

Defining moment: The Wolves were obviously short-handed, with Nikola Pekovic left as their most consistent starter. They attempted to feed him early to establish a rhythm, but Hibbert's size proved too much for Pek, who was consistently blocked and stifled, finishing the night 4-for-11 from the field. No one could pick up that slack, and Minnesota found itself down 20-4 after six minutes.

That was ... historic. That's 26 consecutive losses for the Wolves in April, an NBA record. Their last win came April 16, 2008, when Randy Foye dropped in 32 to lead Minnesota.

Philadelphia 76ers	100	Final Recap | Box score	113	Orlando Magic

MVP: With Dwight Howard out (presumably busy passive-aggressively undermining the training staff), Ryan Anderson was overwhelming. The NBA's top 3-point man dropped in 26 on 16 shots and chipped in 16 boards -- eight offensive. If this continues, with restricted free agency ahead, the poor man's Kevin Love is primed to become a really rich poor man's Kevin Love.

X factor: The "X" here stands for "extremely unlikely." Against the No. 1 defensive team in the Association, Orlando had a second quarter to remember. The home team shot 16-of-23 from the floor -- including 5-of-6 from 3-point range -- and poured in 40 points, the most Philadelphia has allowed in a period this season. Earl Clark scored six points in the second -- and was the Magic's fourth-leading scorer.

That was ... perplexing: With the Magic sans their starting frontcourt, the Sixers' battle plan going into this one was simple and, it seemed, attainable: control the glass and don't get burned outside. Philadelphia did the complete opposite of both these things. The Sixers were outrebounded 46-30 and allowed the home team to shoot 11-of-18 from beyond the arc.