Tonight was not the best night ever for the Phoenix Suns. On an evening in which a win by Phoenix (who led most of the night) and a loss by the Memphis Grizzlies (who were down to the Dallas Mavericks by as many as 17 points) would have gotten them into the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoff race, the Suns blew the game in overtime and the Grizzlies snuck back to beat the Mavs by one point. Oh, and Channing Frye -- arguably one of the team's most important players during this stretch of improved play -- left the game with a dislocated shoulder.
No word yet on how serious Frye's injury is or how long he'll be out, but it's a set-back either way to a team that finished a tough six-game road trip with a respectable 4-2 record.
Though the game was close the entire way, the Suns stayed ahead for the most part, behind 29 points from Vince Carter, 20 points from Marcin Gortat, 20 points from Mikael Pietrus, 14 assists from Steve Nash (to only two turnovers), and a double-double from Frye (11 points, 15 rebounds). However, in overtime with OKC up two and only 16 seconds to go, Carter was fouled on a three-point shot and missed two of his three free throws. Phoenix was unable to regain the lead and fell 122-118. The Suns also wasted a poor shooting night from Thunder superstar Kevin Durant, who went 3-for-14 from the field.
It was a demoralizing loss on the end of an otherwise long and successful road trip, and the impact of Frye's injury could be severe for a team fighting for its playoff life. Phoenix's overall play is much improved, but they can't seem to get any breaks but bad ones along the way.