NBA scores: The East is wide open and 3 other things we learned on Monday

The Raptors won their fifth in a row and have solidified their place at the top of the conference standings. Toronto dominated the Suns for three quarters before a barrage of three-pointers gave Phoenix a chance to steal the game late. The Suns even took the lead with three minutes to go. But this Raptors team is more mature than last season's iteration and knows how to close out games. Kyle Lowry made huge plays down the stretch and prevented the comeback from being completed.

The Suns three-headed point guard monster of Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas was actually outscored by the Raptors' back court of Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Lou Williams, negating Phoenix's biggest advantage. Jonas Valanciunas scored 27 points in 11 shots and pulled down 11 rebounds. He was simply bigger and stronger than anyone on the Suns' roster. Toronto's ability to control the paint was just too much to overcome for a Suns squad that was cold from outside until the fourth quarter explosion led by Thomas.

The Raptors are leading the East with a 12-2 record but they won't be able to relax and enjoy it. The Wizards are lurking at 9-3 and the Bulls are right there at 9-5 after their win in Utah.

The Bulls finally got two of their stars back on Monday. Derrick Rose scored 18 points on 10 shots and dished out five assists in his first game back since November 13 and Pau Gasol had 23 points, nine rebounds and three assists in his return after missing the previous three games. The two were sorely needed since Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson were out with injuries, and they delivered.

Chicago led comfortably after two thanks largely to Jimmy Butler's 16 first-half points. But the Jazz are dangerous in Salt Lake City. Trey Burke had a monster third quarter in which he scored 12 points and logged five assists to lead the Jazz to 36 points in the frame. Going into the final period the Bulls' double-digit lead had been reduced to just one.

Utah made its push and almost got the win after a Kanter dunk gave them a one-point lead with 1:37 to go. But following a couple of empty possessions Burke turned it over, the Bulls ran and after a Jimmy Butler miss, Mike Dunleavy was wide open for the putback. The Jazz had two more chances to win it but missed both. The shorthanded Bulls got a valuable win to stay in the chase. And if they stay healthy, they are as dangerous as any team.

Both teams showed resilience and could very well make the finals. Right now it looks like the East is wide open. And that's a good change of pace after years of Heat dominance.

The win against the Magic is nice but next week will teach us where the Cavs stand

Everything went right for the Cavaliers in their win over Orlando Magic. The win snapped a four-game losing streak and LeBron James looked as assertive as his been recently in the blowout. Taking care of inferior opponents is exactly what good teams do, so this game is a step in the right direction for Cleveland. But it's hard to take much away from this one. The Magic are simply not very good right now and were without their second best scorer and rebounder, Tobias Harris.

Cleveland will face the Washington Wizards next, a team that beat them handily already. Then they'll face the Pacers, and if Roy Hibbert is back from his ankle sprain, it will be interesting to see if Cleveland can contain a good center. After that, the surprising Bucks await. The win allows the Cavaliers to stop the slide but they need to prove they can be consistent and beat good teams before they can be talked about as a serious contender.

This was supposed to be a happy season for the Hornets. First they got their name back and then they signed Lance Stephenson to reinforce their Kemba Walker-Al Jefferson core. A second round berth in the playoffs wasn't out of the question and that would have been huge for the franchise. After 15 games, they are 4-11 and firmly out of the playoff picture.

Stephenson and Marvin Williams have disappointed, Kidd-Gilchrist is injured and lottery picks Bismack Biyombo and Cody Zeller remain inconsistent. Because they play in the East, there's still a chance they get it together and sneak into the playoffs. But as this Monday's lopsided loss to the Clippers shows, right now, they are one of the worst teams in the league. A sad reality for one of the more surprising teams of last season.

Indiana was going into Dallas without their top scorer and the league's premier rim protector, Roy Hibbert. David West and George Hill have been out for most of the season. And everyone knows what happened to Paul George. They had no business staying close to the Mavericks, much less win the game. But they shockingly did, going toe to toe with the best offense in the league despite being led in points by Donald Sloan.

James Harden had 36 points to lead the Dwight-less Rockets past the Knicks, but none were prettier than these two:

Trail Blazers 114, 76ers 104 (Blazer's Edge recap | Liberty Ballers recap)