So what if Dallas was resting several of its key players? The Jazz, losers of five straight and six of seven, is desperate for wins as it hopes to catch Houston for home court advantage. So Utah wasn't about to think twice about stealing a big win in Dallas – its first victory on the Mavericks' home court since December 30, 2002.

Carlos Boozer came through when the Jazz needed him the most, producing his best offensive game in almost three weeks. He sunk 12-of-19 from the floor and 8-of-11 from the line for 32 points, while pulling down 15 boards and adding seven assists.

While many stars have been rendered useless or unreliable over this final stretch because they are either hurt or being rested because their team is out of the race or locked into their playoff position, Utah remains very much driven to keep fighting. Friday's 104-89 win pulled the Jazz within a game of Houston with three to play in the race for that all-important extra home game in the first round.

Knowing that the Jazz will run Boozer out there as much as it can over the final week makes him a steady option in a sea of uncertainty – exactly what fantasy owners need as they grapple with choices over these last few games. It's the time of the season when the actual NBA standings is probably the most important factor when assessing fantasy value.

In today's Dose, we've also got the latest status reports on Zaza Pachulia, Al Jefferson, Gerald Williams, Chauncey Billups, Jamaal Tinsley, Mo Williams, Kevin Garnett, Vince Carter, Renaldo Balkman, Andre Iguodala, Brandon Roy, Ron Artest, Francisco Elson, Andrei Kirilenko and Antonio Daniels.

Atlanta Hawks

Zaza Pachulia missed Friday's game because of a leg injury, a concern that will probably force him out the next two games. Shelden Williams is getting his chance as a result, and came through with a double-double last night. Salim Stoudamire's ankle will keep him out for another two games at least, so go ahead and ditch him. Remember that Josh Smith's two-game suspension ends tonight, so he should be back in action and back in your lineups for the rest of the season.

Boston Celtics

Delonte West was able to return to the starting lineup last night after missing four games with an ankle injury. He should be a useful player for the final three games, so go ahead and activate him again. Al Jefferson (knee) remained out Friday, but says he wants to get back on the court this season and play in the final three games. I suggest you proceed under the assumption that he won't make it back.

Charlotte Bobcats

It's been a great run for Gerald Wallace owners, but knee tendonitis sidelined him Friday and could force him to miss today's game as well, even though he's listed as probable. Consider Crash a game-time decision at best. Adam Morrison has now missed three straight games because of his knee, an injury which we were led to believe was minor in the first place. Jake Voskuhl and Matt Carroll each remained out as well as the Bobcats are limping to the finish line.

Chicago Bulls

Adrian Griffin's back is acting up again, so he was out of the lineup yesterday. No fantasy loss there, but he's a solid defender for the Bulls.

Dallas Mavericks

Coach Johnson is doing his best to get everyone some rest, apparently. Friday, it was Jason Terry's turn; rare footage considering he hadn't missed a game all season long.

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets made a couple of depth moves yesterday, beefing up their backcourt situation by signing both Anthony Carter and Von Wafer. Neither player will have any value. The block party rages on. Marcus Camby had a season-high nine swats last night, giving him 41 in the past seven. Don't go near the Nugget basket right now.

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons erred on the side of caution by resting Chauncey Billups last night. Flip Murray got the start at PG instead, but Mr. Big Shot would have played through his thigh injury had this been a playoff game. Murray could be somewhat useful down the stretch if Detroit keeps playing it safe with Billups. Amir Johnson got the call up from the D-League and played 18 minutes, part of a group that was on the floor that allowed the Raptors to claw back into and ultimately win the game. Sure, it meant nothing for the Pistons, but I'm not sure it was wise to allow Toronto the mental advantage of knowing it could come back against Detroit, regardless of who was playing for the Pistons. Rasheed Wallace, for instance, was barely a factor. Last time these two teams met, he was dominant. Again, clearly Detroit didn't care much, but that may have been a mistake.

Golden St. Warriors

Stephen Jackson came up big in another huge win for the Warriors. He's scored 54 points in his last two games and looks like a superb option with Golden State battling for its playoff life. Andris Biedrins enjoyed his first 30-minute game in a couple of weeks, perhaps signaling that he's back in Coach Nelson's good books. Baron Davis is attributing his recent run of good health to the fact that he's taking better care of himself. B. Diddy has come to the conclusion that he can't dunk over people and stay healthy.

Indiana Pacers

Jamaal Tinsley was again out of action because of his elbow injury. Set him adrift already. Keith McLeod is still starting in his place, but really not doing enough to warrant consideration. I think I'd rather have 57-year-old Darrell Armstrong at this point. Kudos to Jermaine O'Neal for playing through his injuries with a playoff spot on the line, but he's shooting just 30 percent in the past five games and has failed to reach double digits in rebounds in the last two.

L.A. Clippers

Cuttino Mobley found his shooting stroke for the first time in a few games, coming through with a nice effort to key a big win for the desperate Clippers.

L.A. Lakers

Coach Jackson has seen enough of Andrew Bynum, sending him to the bench in favor of Ronny Turiaf Friday night. Bynum hasn't been seeing significant minutes anyways, so this will likely ensure that he won't have much value for the remainder of the season. Smush Parker played just 16 scoreless minutes Friday and looks as inconsistent as they come right now. Last night's loss dropped the Lakers back to .500 for the first time all season long. Don't look now, but this team has dropped eight of its past 10 and now sits just a half a game ahead of the Clippers and Warriors for seventh place in the West. The Lakers control their own destiny with tie-breakers over both teams, so if they win both games, they're in no matter what. But playoff spot or not, what's really scary here is the fact that this team is 14-27 since January 17, a record better than only Memphis and Minnesota among Western teams. Of course, that's not stopping the team from opening up negotiations with Jackson for a contract extension, even though he still has one year remaining on his current three-year, $30-million deal.

Miami Heat

Udonis Haslem was back after missing a couple of games with a groin injury, so Antoine Walker went back to the bench. Haslem didn't play much (19 minutes), but he was quite effective, just missing out on a double-double. So much for Flash's no dunking edict. He threw down several jams last night and survived a scary fall into the stands to record a big night in 35 minutes of action.

Milwaukee Bucks

Need help at center? Grab Dan Gadzuric, who's even showing a little offensive touch now with a season-high 21 points Friday to go along with 11 boards and three blocks. Mo Williams was listed as probable, but wound up sitting last night because of his sore knee. Whether he takes the court again this season seems to be anyone's guess at this point.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Marko Jaric had been seeing some nice minutes lately, but hadn't been doing much with them. Now that he's out nursing a couple of injuries, there really is no use in looking at him. Mike James finally showed some offense last night, his first game over 20 points since being shifted back into the starting lineup. He remains one of the lousiest sources of assists among starting PGs in the league, however. And let's not blame the absence of KG; this has been going on all year for James. He's really much better suited to be a two guard. Speaking of Garnett, he's still in California having his quadriceps checked out (yes, apparently this injury is so complicated that he can't have it looked at in Minnesota) so it looks like he is indeed toast for the year. It appears he's going to win his fourth straight rebounding title.

New Jersey Nets

Richard Jefferson shook off a sluggish game Thursday with a big night last night. It was very encouraging to see him do so well in the second game of a back-to-back as the Nets are still monitoring his minutes in these situations. Jason Kidd did his thing with another triple-double. He's been stellar on the boards lately. With the Nets clinching a playoff spot last night, however, watch both of these players plus Vince Carter as well, as their PT may experience serious shrinkage. For instance, in talking about Sunday's game, VC said: "Maybe I'll go the first quarter, then watch the rest. Whatever it takes to get ready for the games that count." This uncertainty could make him a very shaky play.

NOK Hornets

NOOCH is barely alive in the playoff picture, but David West is doing his part. He's topped 30 points in consecutive games and looks like a blazing play for the final few games. As long as the Hornets have a shot, however slim, Coach Scott will keep running Chris Paul out there. As soon as they bite the dust, his minutes will be either limited or non existent.

New York Knicks

Renaldo Balkman has missed three straight games because of this stomach virus, a major burn as he was looking like a solid play down the stretch. He may still return and be valuable, but now that the Knicks are out of it, there doesn't seem to be much point in rushing back. One Knick rookie who could help is Mardy Collins. Given the chance to see some action in a decimated New York backcourt, he's been playing great. He looks like a better bet now than even Steve Francis, who finally showed a little something last night. Stephon Marbury was dressed, but did not play. I can't see him getting back out there now. Jamal Crawford has been cleared to return, just in time for him to play out the string. Don't bother.

Orlando Magic

With Orlando fighting for the final playoff spot in the East, expect Dwight Howard and the rest of the starters to keep seeing big minutes.

Philadelphia 76ers

Andre Iguodala (back) will be a game-time decision for tonight's game with the Sixers facing elimination from playoff contention. Go ahead and roll the dice on this one as it sure sounds like he's going to play, but if Philly loses, AI2 will probably pack it in. Kyle Korver (wrist) and Rodney Carney (knee) are both game-time decisions for tonight, but Carney is the much better bet to take the court.

Phoenix Suns

James Jones got another start for the Suns, but does not look like a reliable option at all. In one of the biggest surprises of the season, Amare Stoudemire still has a chance to play in all 82 games this season. Owners who gambled on him won big time, as back in October it looked like he'd be lucky to play 60 games.

Portland Trailblazers

Brandon Roy was able to play through his knee woes last night, and despite reporting soreness, the team still hasn't officially shut him down. Coach McMillan says he'll be a game-time decision tonight. Playing him will be a big risk, but I'm really not sure why Portland just doesn't stick a fork in the rest of the likely Rookie of the Year's season. Travis Outlaw hurt his knee and left late last night, but he says he'll play tonight as long as the stiffness goes away.

Sacramento Kings

With Brad Miller out, Sacramento chose to go small, shifting Shareef Abdur-Rahim to center and inserting John Salmons into the lineup. Salmons turned it over five times, but did manage 15 points and six assists. SAR, by the way, took to the switch very nicely, coming through with a huge night. Ron Artest was back and he came off the bench to play 26 minutes. It wasn't his best performance, but he should be good to go for the rest of the way.

San Antonio Spurs

Francisco Elson hurt his wrist in practice – an injury said not to be serious – so he was sidelined Friday and Robert Horry started in his place. Horry is incapable of logging heavy minutes so he has no value, although he did manage to sink a trio of treys. Tony Parker picked up two fouls in two minutes last night and then sat for the rest of the game. Coach Popovich is probably playing it safe with Parker's recent back problems.

Toronto Raptors

Anthony Parker continued to put on a show from downtown, draining another five triples last night to give him 23 in the last five games. You knew it was going to be a good night for the team when on one broken play, with the shot clock about to expire, he dribbled out of traffic into the open court and put up a prayer that kissed window and went in for a huge 3-pointer. Kris Humphries keeps taking advantage of his extra PT with Andrea Bargnani sidelined. The rebounding prowess and toughness he's showing (18 rebounds Friday, including nine O-boards), is helping him make a statement for playoff PT. That kind of energy and aggression is not Bargnani's game, but will be very welcome in the postseason. This dude does the dirty work, so he's winning over Coach Mitchell.

Utah Jazz

Matt Harpring started for the injured Andrei Kirilenko Friday, sending Ronnie Brewer back to the bench. Unfortunately, the start did little to boost Harpring's value as he couldn't come close to matching his big game on Wednesday. Gordan Giricek is hoping to return tonight after missing a couple of games because of his ribs, but that's not exactly the shot in the arm your fantasy team is seeking, is it? AK-47 won't play tonight, but he may try to play through his thumb injury Monday.

Washington Wizards

With Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler out, opponents are double-teaming Antawn Jamison, so he's managed to get just 18 shots off the past two games. Of course, the way he was going last night (1-for-7), it's just as well that Jamison was forced to defer to his teammates. DeShawn Stevenson was the main beneficiary of this situation, and he keeps lighting it up from downtown, draining another quartet of treys Friday. Antonio Daniels had a scary moment last night when he was knocked to the floor hard, but he bounced back to record a double-double with five rebounds. He's going to be re-examined today after suffering a back contusion, so his status may be up in the air for Sunday. Check back later in the day for an update.