1. LeBron James, Cavaliers	G	MIN	FG%	3P%	FT%	STL	BLK	RPG	AST	PTS	PER
		43	37.5	.494	.290	.772	1.9	1.2	7.5	7.0	27.9	31.8
	His jumper at the buzzer beat the Warriors. A night later, he had 33 points and drew a key charge in a win at Utah. "Here's a franchise player sacrificing his body," Mike Brown said. (Last week: 1 | Team record: 35-8)

	2. Kobe Bryant, Lakers	G	MIN	FG%	3P%	FT%	STL	BLK	RPG	AST	PTS	PER
		44	36.5	.474	.361	.864	1.27	0.3	5.6	5.2	26.6	24.5
	He is third in scoring and above his career averages in both rebounds and assists per game. He is also shooting a career-high 47 percent and the Lakers have won four straight. (Last week: 2 | Team record: 35-9)

	3. Dwyane Wade, Heat	G	MIN	FG%	3P%	FT%	STL	BLK	RPG	AST	PTS	PER
		43	38.2	.480	.270	.753	2.2	1.5	4.9	7.2	28.9	29.0
	Miami started Yakhouba Diawara, Jamaal Magloire and rookie Mario Chalmers on Monday and still won by 16 against Atlanta thanks to Wade's 35 points. Been like that all season. (Last week: 4 | Team record: 24-19)

	4. Dwight Howard, Magic	G	MIN	FG%	3P%	FT%	STL	BLK	RPG	AST	PTS	PER
		42	36.1	.563	.000	.587	0.9	3.1	13.8	1.3	20.0	25.2
	His play inside frees up the shooters, and his shot blocking covers for blown assignments. Orlando has lost back-to-back games for the first time since the start of the season. (Last week: 3 | Team record: 34-10)

	5. Chris Paul, Hornets	G	MIN	FG%	3P%	FT%	STL	BLK	RPG	AST	PTS	PER
		41	37.8	.501	.337	.873	2.8	0.2	5.5	11.1	21.3	30.4
	Second in the MVP voting last season, he is better this year. He had his second triple-double of the month against the Sixers, falling three steals short of a quadruple-double. (Last week: 5 | Team record: 27-14)

	6. C. Billups, Nuggets	G	MIN	FG%	3P%	FT%	STL	BLK	RPG	AST	PTS	PER
		43	35.4	.418	.393	.909	1.4	0.2	2.7	6.7	18.9	20.6
	His statistics are good, but they don't tell the entire story of what he means to the Nuggets, who continue to win despite playing without leading scorer Carmelo Anthony. (Last week: 6 | Team record: 30-15)

	7. Tim Duncan, Spurs	G	MIN	FG%	3P%	FT%	STL	BLK	RPG	AST	PTS	PER
		44	35.0	.520	.000	.689	0.5	1.8	10.3	3.6	20.6	25.2
	His double-double streak ended at seven in the Spurs' loss to the Lakers, but there isn't a lot not to like about one of the league's best interior defenders who averages 20 and 10. (Last week: 7 | Team record: 30-14)

	8. Brandon Roy, Blazers	G	MIN	FG%	3P%	FT%	STL	BLK	RPG	AST	PTS	PER
		40	37.1	.467	.359	.819	1.3	0.4	4.7	5.2	22.6	24.7
	After a loss to the Cavs, he told the media he would give them something to talk about against the Wizards. He then went out and tied a franchise record with 10 steals. (Last week: 9 | Team record: 27-17)

	9. Kevin Garnett, Celtics	G	MIN	FG%	3P%	FT%	STL	BLK	RPG	AST	PTS	PER
		45	32.5	.525	.143	.842	1.2	1.2	9.0	2.6	16.3	21.5
	Even though his offensive numbers aren't what they used to be, what keeps people mentioning Garnett's name when they talk about the league's elite players is his defense. (Last week: NR | Team record: 37-9)

	10. Joe Johnson, Hawks	G	MIN	FG%	3P%	FT%	STL	BLK	RPG	AST	PTS	PER
		44	39.9	.427	.341	.807	1.1	0.3	4.5	6.1	21.5	18.2
	He has failed to score 20 points in four straight games and Atlanta is 2-2 in that period, including Monday's loss to the Heat in which they went over 13 minutes without a field goal.(Last week: 10 | Team record: 26-18)

Most Improved Player Watch

1. Danny Granger, Pacers: He's tied for fourth in the league in scoring (25.8 points per game) and has scored more than 30 points 14 times and more than 40 points three times this season. He also rebounds well for his position, is averaging a career high in assists and takes and makes every big shot for Indiana. Team success should have nothing to do with All-Star selections, therefore when the reserves are announced Thursday, he can expect to hear his name. (Last week: 2)

2. Devin Harris, Nets

3. Jameer Nelson, Magic

4. Paul Millsap, Jazz

5. Kevin Durant, Thunder

Rookie of the Year Watch

1. Derrick Rose, Bulls: Kirk Hinrich has been playing well off the bench at the point since returning from injury. It will be interesting to see what effect this ends up having on Rose. (Last week: 1)

2. O.J. Mayo, Grizzlies

3. Russell Westbrook, Thunder

4. Brook Lopez, Nets

5. Eric Gordon, Clippers

1. Stan Van Gundy, Magic: His attention to detail, combined with the league's best 3-point shooters and the game's most dominant big man, make Orlando a serious title contender. (Last week: 1)

1. Dwight Howard, Magic: He became the first player to get over three million votes for the All-Star Game and leads the league in double-doubles, rebounds and blocked shots. (Last week: 1)

1. Jason Terry, Mavericks: With the exception of Golden State's Corey Maggette (who isn't on this list because he hasn't played enough games as a reserve yet), there isn't another sixth man capable of getting 20 points per game on a nightly basis. (Last week: 1)

NBA Statistical Leaders

Points per game
Dwyane Wade, Heat (28.9)
NBA scoring leaders

Rebounds per game
Dwight Howard, Magic (13.8)
NBA rebounding leaders

Assists per game
Chris Paul, Hornets (11.1)
NBA assists leaders

Steals per game
Chris Paul, Hornets (2.7)
NBA steals leaders

Blocks per game
Dwight Howard, Magic (3.1)
NBA blocks leaders

Field goal percentage
Nene, Nuggets (.610)
NBA field goal leaders

3-point field goal percentage
Anthony Morrow, Warriors (.506)
NBA 3-point shooting leaders

Free-throw percentage
Jose Calderon, Raptors (1.000)
NBA free-throw shooting leaders