*All stats prior to Tuesday's games
Winners
Boston Celtics
An emphatic win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena last Friday highlighted what has been an excellent start to the month of February for the Celtics. Down five with nine seconds remaining, Brad Stevens' team was able to knock down several clutch shots, including a game-winning three-pointer from Avery Bradley after Marcus Smart's hustle allowed the Celtics to regain possession with under five seconds remaining.
In a building where the top-seeded Cavs had lost just three games all season, the fifth-youngest team in the NBA was able to come from behind and win their fourth straight game. Now winners of nine of their last ten games, the C's are the third seed in the Eastern Conference. Seven games back of the Cavs and five back from Atlantic Division rivals, the Toronto Raptors, the Celtics are primed to make some noise in the postseason.
Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets began their week with an emphatic win at home over the Cavaliers 106-97. They have now won three of their last four games and are just a half game out of eighth place in the East. Their recent surge brought them back to .500 at 26-26 overall.
The Hornets have struggled for a large portion of the season, yet continue to hang in the hunt for the Eastern Conference Playoffs. They have been led by Kemba Walker, who could have easily been named an All-Star in the East. The Hornets continue to play well without big man Al Jefferson and have benefited from strong play from Marvin Williams and Nicolas Batum.
Utah Jazz
A bubble team all season, the Jazz are riding a six-game win streak and are now the eighth seed in the Western Conference at 25-25 overall.
They are the second-best defensive team in the NBA, trailing only the San Antonio Spurs in opponent points-per-game. Gordon Hayward continues to be the dominant force on offense as the Jazz rely on a young core while battling injuries to key players.
George Karl
After rumors swirled that the Sacramento Kings were poised to move on from their head coach, it has been reported that Karl will maintain his job.
Karl briefly showed signs of improvement and was able to find some cohesiveness among his players as the Kings jumped into a playoff position several weeks back. They have since slipped, but Karl will come out a winner heading into the All-Star break simply by maintaining his job.
Pau Gasol
An unforeseen and unfortunate circumstance has led to Gasol being named an Eastern Conference All-Star. Gasol was originally snubbed from the team as Andre Drummond, Chris Bosh, and Paul Millsap were selected by the coaches to make up the frontcourt for the East. Gasol replaces teammate Jimmy Butler on the roster.
Losers
Chicago Bulls
Losers of their last three games, the Bulls were dealt a major blow in the form of an injury to Jimmy Butler. The team's leading scorer has been ruled out three-to-four weeks with a strained left knee. He will miss the All-Star Game this weekend and will be replaced by teammate, Pau Gasol, on the Eastern Conference roster. The break cannot come sooner for the Bulls, who are clinging to the seventh seed in the East, just two games from slipping out of a playoff spot.
New York Knicks
The Knicks fired head coach Derek Fisher on Monday after losing all four games last week. Although the team has improved since last season, Fisher has merely kept the Knickerbockers off the basement floor.
They are eight games under .500 and have lost 11 of their last 14. Kurt Rambis will take over as interim head coach. Carmelo Anthony leads the Knicks in scoring with 21.1 points-per-game and is averaging a career-high 4.2 assists. Anthony leads the team in assists which should have sounded some alarms for Phil Jackson.
Sacramento Kings
A decision was reportedly made to not fire George Karl, although the team announced that they would likely move on from Karl in "coming days." The Kings have lost four in a row and clearly cannot continue with Karl at head coach. Vlade Divac has failed his team by keeping Karl around.
The Kings are the fourth-highest scoring team in the NBA, but are also the worst defensive team in the league. Tom Thibodeau is currently unemployed and would be a terrific replacement. Kevin McHale, Lionel Hollins and, now, David Blatt and Derek Fisher are amongst the coaches who have been fired already this season. Divac would be wise to pick one of them up and move on from Karl.
Derek Fisher
The aforementioned Fisher became the fifth coach in the NBA to lose his job this season. The infamous triangle offense was a disaster in New York and Fisher was lucky to have kept his job to this point. Unlike Jason Kidd, who played in the league with Fisher, it is unlikely that Fisher will to be hired by another team in the league.
Kidd took the Brooklyn Nets to the playoffs before being fired and, subsequently hired by the Milwaukee Bucks, whom he also coached to the postseason. While Kidd's ride has been up-and-down, Fisher's has been mainly down.
Manu Ginobili
After taking a shot to the groin which required surgery, Ginobili is expected to miss four-to-six weeks. The injury, which is often laughed off by male athletes, is not too uncommon and was likely very painful for Ginobili and his goodies.
Without Ginobili and Tim Duncan, Gregg Popovich will have a shortened bench to work with and will not be able to rest his starters as much as he has in the past. For now, the health of Ginobili will be the primary concern. Compared the these guys, he should be thankful.