Phoenix 97, Utah 109: No Deron, no Okur, might mean a three-game losing streak would be extended … except that Utah’s bench outscored the Phoenix bench 59-16. Nash and Shaq were plagued by foul trouble, and the Big Superquote was held to one rebound in 31 minutes.

Houston 100, Oklahoma City 89: Sky is blue, water is wet, T-Mac and Yao are going to get injured. Is their stinky injury history going to rub off on Artest? All three went down in the game with knee, ankle, and ankle tweaks, respectively, put Luis Scola scored 23 points and even a depleted Rockets’ team is better than the 1-10 Thunder.

San Antonio 86, LA Clippers 83: Roger Mason broke a tie with a triple with 11 seconds left and Baron Davis missed an off-balance game-tying attempt at the horn and the Spurs are .500. The Paper Clips are 1-9.