It took Kevin Garnett's finest performance of the season to finally cool of the Suns. Phoenix's 17-game winning streak came to a halt 121-112, courtesy of the T-Wolves and a 44-point explosion by the Big Ticket on Monday.

Garnett, who added 11 rebounds, shot 18-of-29 from the field and was at his best down the stretch, scoring 15 points in the fourth against a Suns' team that came in having won 33 of their past 35. Just two other teams have done that in NBA history, so this win for Minny was huge.

The 44-point show represented the second-best scoring output of KG's career. Ironically, his highest scoring game (47 points) also came against Phoenix, back in 2005. All told, his was Garnett's first 40-point effort of the year and the fourth of his career.

On the injury front, the Dose has the latest on LeBron James, Carlos Boozer, Wally Szczerbiak, Steve Francis and T.J. Ford plus some huge suspension news about Kobe.

Atlanta Hawks

You think Joe Johnson likes to play the Magic? The past five times his Hawks have beaten Orlando, Johnson has been the main man, averaging over 31 PPG. On Monday, he was up to old magic tricks, using a huge second half to wind up with 34 points, six boards and five assists to lead Atlanta over Orlando. Johnson is up to 24.9 PPG for the year, increasing his scoring average every season he's been in the NBA. Johnson's recent hot play has been made possible by Josh Smith's return to prominence. If there were any doubts that J-Smooth is over his hernia issues, you can dispel them after he recorded a fourth straight double-double last night. His numbers over this stretch are now 20.5 PPG and 11 RPG. This pair gives Atlanta a tremendous one-two punch.

Boston Celtics

Wally Szczerbiak's ankle wasn't feeling any ill effects in practice yesterday. That's the good news. The bad news is his shooting touch was left on the sidelines. Does 30 percent shooting over the past nine games turn you on? Yeah, I didn't think so.

Charlotte Bobcats

Gerald Wallace scored 25 points with 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks (including a key swat in the final minute) Monday to propel the Bobcats to victory. Pushed to PF while Emeka Okafor takes over center for the injured Primoz Brezec, Wallace has stepped up his work on the glass, averaging 8.9 boards for the past seven games. Speaking of Okafor, he can't miss lately. After last night's 9-for-12 performance, he's now shooting almost 70 percent over the past seven games. Sean May's knee is bugging him again, forcing him out on Monday. No word on when he'll be back.

Chicago Bulls

It looks like Ben Gordon in well on his way to a second Sixth Man Award in the past three years, guiding the Bulls to a 3-1 mark last week by averaging over 26 points, over four boards and over four assists per game. Assuming Gordon doesn't remain a starter for the rest of the year, I like his chances of bagging the hardware considering he's up to a career-best 21.6 PPG and 3.6 APG through 45 games. Ben Wallace's knee injury has improved to the point that he was off crutches Monday. He still couldn't practice but at least he could walk normally. Originally, there were fears that the injury could end his season, but now there's even a chance he could play as soon as Wednesday. Consider Big Ben day-to-day.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Gulp. LeBron James' bruised and sprained toe isn't getting any better while he tries to play through it, so that will likely mean he'll need to sit for a spell, probably starting Tuesday against the Warriors. After tweaking the toe twice in Sunday's loss, King James sat out the team's full-contact practice session on Monday. The idea of sitting infuriates LeBron, but he understands that he'll keep re-injuring the toe if he doesn't allow it time to heal. And playing on a bum toe is limiting his explosiveness. James is officially a game-time decision for tonight's contest. Does that sink the Cavs? Not necessarily. Cleveland is actually 7-2 without LeBron since he joined the club in 2003. He needs to sit for a game or two and nip this problem in the bud before it becomes a more serious issue when the team will be jockeying for playoff positioning down the stretch. Meanwhile, Daniel Gibson will start over Eric Snow at PG tonight. It will end a streak of 139 straight starts by Snow, and hopefully will add some offense to the Cavs' attack. Keep an eye on Gibson as a possible waiver wire addition.

Dallas Mavericks

Dirk Nowitzki, riding a streak of eight straight double-doubles, will look to lead Dallas to a 14th straight home victory tonight against the Sonics.

Denver Nuggets

Allen Iverson rolled his ankle in the second quarter Monday, but after getting it taped up, got right back out there. He'll be evaluated today, but I expect A.I. to be fine for tomorrow's game considering he wasn't exactly slowed by the injury, leading the Nuggets with 31 points and eight assists. Steve Blake missed both his shots last night, each of them 3-point tries, in taking a goose egg. He did pitch in with five assists, however, so the dimes should maintain his fantasy value. It's been five games since Carmelo Anthony returned from his lengthy suspension, and he's averaging 29.4 PPG. However, Denver has dropped three straight, even though both its big guns are firing on all cylinders. What's up with that?

Detroit Pistons

Rasheed Wallace will look to build on his recently improved scoring numbers as Detroit takes aim at Eastern Conference supremacy (which is rapidly becoming the NBA equivalent of kissing your sister) against the Wizards on Tuesday.

Golden St. Warriors

Al Harrington is on fire right now and the timing is perfect with the Warriors about to embark on their longest road trip of the year. They might catch a break tonight, as there's a good chance the Cavs will be LeBron-less.

Houston Rockets

With Yao Ming expected to remain sidelined for several more weeks, Juwan Howard looks like a great play right now. He sank 10-of-15 from the field last night for 20 points while adding 10 boards and dropping six dimes. It's like Howard's having a Fab Five moment…oh, wait a second…right…the Fab Five never existed. Never mind. T-Mac came through with 25 points, five assists and four boards – despite sitting out in the fourth quarter. He now has at least 24 points in 12 of his last 14 games, but as always, McGrady's back remains a concern.

Indiana Pacers

I like the Pacers' chances of increasing their home winning streak to four games tonight. Injury-riddled Boston is in town and the Celtics have only won five of their past 32 games in Indy, dating back almost 20 years.

L.A. Lakers

Kobe Bryant will have a game to sit and think about throwing his elbows around. After nailing Manu Ginobili in the face on Sunday, Bryant has been slapped with a one-game suspension, to be served tonight when the Lakers square off against the Knicks. I guess the Knicks won't have to worry about who will guard Kobe now, but it's a nasty blow for his owners. In the interest of fantasy owners everywhere, the NBA should only be allowed to announce suspensions on Sundays. Somebody tell David Stern's wife to suggest this idea to the commish. Tell her it will help save endangered animals.

Memphis Grizzlies

Pau Gasol has started to really help owners in the blocks department. After managing 14 blocks over an eight-game stretch, Gasol suddenly has 14 in the past two after swatting eight shots last night. Oh, he managed to score 34 points and pull down eight boards on Monday as well. Gasol's trade value keeps rising. Mike Miller hit another four 3-pointers on his way to a 27-point, six-assist, four-rebound night. We're not even at the all-star break yet and this dude is already just six treys behind his entire total from last year. Eddie Jones has agreed to a contact buyout which could see him waived as soon as today. Wow…we didn't see this one coming. And honestly, until very recently why would anyone care? But Jones has started to produce lately, so owners that started him this week may be left holding the bag.

Miami Heat

Shaq still isn't ready for back-to-backs but tonight he'll play his first home game since November. Let's hope the big man is capable of logging close to 20 minutes as he very slowly returns to form.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks will need more heroics from Mo Williams if they hope to snap a four-game road losing skid tonight in Miami.

Minnesota Timberwolves

We could have a Rashad McCants sighting soon. Coach Wittman says McCants is getting "pretty close" to returning, but the new head man in Minny wants to see the soph in a few more practices before working him into a game. McCants offers a nice outside touch, but his fantasy impact will be minimal other than the minutes he'll take away from the current backcourt rotation. One of the players most likely to be affected by McCants' return is rookie Randy Foye. He had a nice across the board game last night with eight points, six assists and five boards and ranks fifth among rookies with 8.9 PPG, but Foye could see a few less minutes when McCants is ready to get back on the court.

New Jersey Nets

Vinsanity is on one of his patented hot streaks. Carter poured in 33 last night – 29 in the second half after sitting most of the first half with foul trouble – including a 35-foot shot at the buzzer to propel the Nets past the Jazz 116-115. He shot 10-of-15 and in the past three games, he's averaging over 35 PPG. Carter got some help from Eddie House on Monday. This House has looked vacant the past few games, but he drained three 3-pointers en route to 19 points off the bench last night. Of course, House's touches were up because Bostjan Nachbar was a surprising scratch as he came down with the flu. Hopefully, Nachbar will be back at it tonight as he's been on a nice roll.

NOK Hornets

Kudos to those of you who waited on David West while he dealt with an elbow issue for a couple of months. He's rewarding you now with an average of over 16 points and nine rebounds since his return. Last night, West went off for 21 points and 10 boards and as long as Peja and Chris Paul remain sidelined, West is the Hornets' go-to guy. While West is doing the scoring, Tyson Chandler has been the chairman of the boards for the Hornets. After yanking down 16 rebounds while adding 14 points and four blocks Monday, Chandler is now averaging career highs with 11.1 RPG and almost 2 BPG. Best of all, lately he's been an amazingly consistent help to your team in rebounding, reaching double digits off the glass in 11 of 14 games this month.

New York Knicks

Wasn't it interesting how the Steve Francis contact buyout talk died as soon as Stephon Marbury's knee started becoming a problem? Francis is back practicing with the team and says he may need only two more weeks before he returns. The swelling has gone down and suddenly Stevie Franchise may be thrust back into the Knicks' plans this year.

Orlando Magic

Sure, most of us expected Darko Milicic to be the starting PF in Orlando by now. But let's put things in perspective: we're talking about a 21-year-old kid here. After Monday's, nine-point, eight-rebound, two-block effort off the bench, he's now averaging career highs with over 7 PPG, 5.0 RPG and almost 2 BPG in 21.9 MPG. A fantasy stud he is not, but the promise is still tremendous.

Philadelphia 76ers

Andre Miller disappeared last night, managing just six points and two assists in his lowest-scoring game since January 9. He's been very steady this year, so don't sweat it. Philly plays four times next week, so use Miller without hesitation. Willie Green is obviously still slowed by his knee. He managed just two points on 1-6 shooting Monday after getting only three points the game before.

Phoenix Suns

Phoenix's run is finally over at 17, but don't blame Steve Nash. He racked up 20 points, 18 assists and nailed a trio of treys on Monday. He also received yet another feather in his cap for helping to build the winning streak. After leading his Suns to another undefeated week last week with 22.5 PPG and over 14 APG, Nash was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for the second straight time, and third time this season. The two-time defending MVP will also have a chance to show off what he can do in the PlayStation Skills Competition on All-Star Saturday, competing against defending champion Dwyane Wade, Kobe and LeBron. What? No Smush Parker this year? Raja Bell keeps dialing long distance. He nailed five 3-pointers last night en route to 26 points, giving him at least three long bombs in nine of the past 11 games. With 120 treys on the year, Bell is behind only Gilbert Arenas and Mike Miller in that department.

Portland Trailblazers

If he stays healthy, Brandon Roy definitely looks like the best bet for the Rookie of the Year. He scored 19 points with four boards and four assists and nailed a pair from downtown on Monday. LaMarcus Aldridge was out of action Monday with a stomach virus. The rook is questionable for Wednesday's game, meaning more minutes are likely for both Joel Przybilla and Jamaal Magloire.

Sacramento Kings

Mike Bibby bounced back after a tough game Saturday with five 3-pointers Monday night. All told, he racked up 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting.

San Antonio Spurs

Note that Tony Parker was dealing with a sprained thumb in the second half of Sunday's game. This may help explain his lackluster 6-for-17 performance from the floor. He did nail all seven free throws, however, so I wouldn't overly worry about this.

Seattle Sonics

Let's see…the Sonics take a 12-game road losing streak into Dallas, winners of 13 straight at home. If I were a betting man…

Toronto Raptors

T.J. Ford, out the past four games with an ankle injury, looks ready to return Wednesday. The Little Engine that Could was back at practice Monday, and his return has Coach Mitchell elated. As well as Jose Calderon has played, Mitchell is worried about the amount of minutes he's had to lug while Ford has been sidelined.

Utah Jazz

Carlos Boozer sat out last night after bruising his knee Saturday. He had an MRI yesterday, but he won't reveal the results until he gets another opinion from his own doctor. Uh, that can't be good news. On the one hand, he says his all-star appearance won't be affected and he hasn't even ruled out playing tomorrow night. On the other hand, Boozer showed up on crutches last night and if the results from the MRI were good, why does he want a second opinion? I'd be worried here. In the meantime, Jarron Collins started for Boozer on Monday. On the plus side for the Jazz, Andrei Kirilenko returned from his ankle injury last night. AK-47 looked rather sluggish, however, managing just eight points, three rebounds and one assist. Foul trouble didn't help, but the fact is Kirilenko is struggling through the worst offensive season of his career.

Washington Wizards

Antawn Jamison, who's scored 69 points in the past two games, will look to keep his Wizards in first place in the East with a win over Detroit tonight. This could be a preview of the Eastern Conference Finals.