Three random thoughts ...

... about the NBA:

1. What in the name of John Starks got into Joe Johnson and J.R. Smith last night? Johnson's 1-for-14 shooting performance was the No. 1 reason the Hawks lost to the Suns last night, and Smith's 4-for-21 was almost enough to do in the Nuggets, who beat the Mavs only by 2 even though Dallas only had one starter (Nowitzki and his 44 points) in double figures.

2. The Timberwolves' five-game winning streak ended with a loss to the Heat, but Randy Foye is still playing well. He put up 29 points last night and is averaging 23.2 over his last five games, finally making a case that he deserved to be taken seventh overall and putting a dent in the idea that the Brandon Roy-Randy Foye draft-day deal was one of the most egregious fleecings of the last 20 years. A small dent, mind you, but a dent nonetheless.

3. It certainly didn't spook LeBron James, who had a triple-double, but there was a ghost on the floor during the Cleveland-Memphis game. O.J. Mayo played 31 minutes, had six points, two rebounds, one assist, one steal, and committed three fouls while the Grizzlies lost by 15 at home to a team that started Lorenzen Wright at power forward. Yikes! Keep it up, Juice, and you'll have a ghost of a chance at Rookie of the Year.