Edmonton 3 Rangers 2 (shootout): Pinching defensemen have become a vital part of the Rangers’ offense and Dan Girardi showed that again Saturday. With New York stymied offensively and losing 1-0 midway in the third, Girardi came in and put the puck on net. The bounce was odd, but the result was good as the Rangers tied the game at 1. Unfortunately for New York, Ryan Hollweg took a stupid boarding penalty and his five-minute......

76ers 101, Knicks 90: Under most circumstances, losing to one of the worst teams in the NBA would be of concern to the Knicks. But with the death of guard Stephon Marbury's father, it doesn't seem so bad. Marbury played for the first half and scored two points but didn't come back out for the second half. Jamal Crawford had his second straight excellent game, but the Knicks frontcourt couldn't contain Samuel Delambert. The two......

Rangers 2, Devils 1 (SO): Petr Prucha did enough to finally earn a second "E" for his name. He set up the only goal in regulation and scored the only goal in the shootout. Scott Gomez struck against his former club. The Rangers had other chances, including Chris Drury's breakaway in overtime, so this win helped them sleep better at night. Islands 3, Penguins 2: This could have been a Pyhrric victory. Rick DiPietro got......

Knicks 97, Cavaliers 93: Eddy Curry, who has shown the Knicks nothing over the past two weeks, scored 13 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter to help lead a comeback win over the Cavs. This may be a case of a day late and a dollar short, though. The Knicks remain two games behind the Nets for the final playoff spot, and they'll each play 12 more games. New York would also have......

Knicks 92 Raptors 74: The most important thing is that they won, but you have to be concerned about how it happened. Eddy Curry played another lackadaisical game, disappearing on defense and getting into foul trouble. Luckily, Renaldo Balkman replaced him and led the Knicks to a big third-quarter. Balkman finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds, giving New York the spark they desperately needed. So, do you rejoice in the win, or do you......

Nets 113, Grizzlies 102: Staring a winless road trip in the the face, the Nets played well -- for once -- and controlled the game from start to finish. Vince Carter scored 30, but most encouraging was Richard Jefferson and his 18-point performance in 28 minutes. Mikki Moore had 24 and Bostjan Nachbar had 14. Who would have thought at the beginning of the season the Nets would need that kind of performances to win?......

Rockets 112, Nets 91: Richard Jefferson returned to a basketball game for the first time since Jan. 22, but that didn't do the Nets too much good. Bostjan Nachbar had a career-high 29 points, but that didn't help either. New Jersey has lost four straight games and is in the middle of another drought. With each week, the playoffs draw nearer and the Nets' margin of error shrinks. How quickly they readjust to Jefferson......

Nets 113, Wizards 101: That post title refers to the "Big Three" of Jason Kidd (26 points, nine assists, eight rebounds), Vince Carter (27, 3 and 6) and Bostjan Nachbar (23, 6 and 2). It could also talk about the 16 3-pointers pointers -- a franchise record -- the Nets hit in a win at home over the Wizards. Before everyone goes crazy about New Jersey beating the team with the second-best record in the......

Nets 101, Knicks 92: Vince Carter once again made the Nets happy they kept him around. He scored 40 points -- the second time in three games he's done that -- as New Jersey kept control over their cross-river rivals. As is always the case, a low-profile player helped too; Bostjan Nachbar had 15 points and 10 rebounds. And the Knicks? They worked hard to get a halftime lead but saw that go up......

Raptors 120, Nets 109: Vince Carter, welcomed with the usual boos, had 17 points and 10 assists, but Toronto took advantage of a weary Nets team and extended its division lead to 4 1/2 games. Bostjan Nachbar pitched in 26. New Jersey didn't struggle offensively -- even Eddie House had 19 -- but it allowed Toronto to shoot 59 percent from the floor. Not going to win too many games playing like that. Warriors 120,......

Nets 112, Nuggets 102: No NBA regular-season game should be billed as a must-win, but Saturday's victory in Denver could prove to be the most important game this season for the Nets. As much as they hate to admit it, when they need to win, they rely on Vince Carter, who scored 40 points. Bostjan Nachbar's 22 went in the pleasant-surprise department, which also included this win on the heels of three heartbreaking losses. Rangers......

Nets 91, Bulls 86: Things looked bleak for New Jersey until a late fourth-quarter run saved their bacon. Vince Carter and Jason Kidd helped them at the end, but if not for Bostjan Nachbar and Richard Jefferson, the Nets wouldn't have been within striking distance. Nachbar's in for some more time now that Nenad Krstic is gone for the season. He started Friday because Jason Collins had a strained back, and he tossed in 16......