NBA Roundup: Are You Not Entertained?

Notes on Monday's games in the National Basketball Association ...

• Zero Calories, Zero Aftertaste. That Kobe-as-MVP talk is a little premature, don't you think? Gilbert Arenas is making a strong case for himself; his 3-pointer a the buzzer capped a 51-point effort in Washington's 114-111 win over the Jazz. "MVP? That trophy is given out at the end of the year," Arenas said. "This is (37) games into the season, so you can't do too much about it. Right now, Steve Nash is above everybody. You have to really do something dramatic in this league. If Kobe averages 35 with an 81 and he didn't get it, you have to do something else in this league to overtake what Steve Nash has done." We agree.

• I Am the Sun King. Meanwhile, the Suns have won 10 straight after their 137-122 win over the Grizzlies on Monday, in which Amare Stoudemire had a season-high 42 points. And we think we all saw this coming. You have to admire Memphis for just showing up these days. • Cook Turns On The Heat. The big showdown: Kobe Bryant 25, Dwayne Wade 35, and Brian Cook 25 ... wait, what was that last one? Former Illini Cook, averaging 7.0 points per game going in, hit the go-ahead 3-pointer in overtime as the Lakers beat Miami 124-118 on Monday night to snap the Heat's four-game winning streak.

• Hush Hush, Sweet Charlotte. Milwaukee's newest player, 5-foot-5 Earl Boykins, scored 30 in his second game for the Bucks, and 7-foot Andrew Bogut had 27 points and 11 rebounds in Milwaukee's 99-91 win over Charlotte.