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The Phoenix Suns lost a heart-breaker on Tuesday night to the Los Angeles Lakers in triple overtime 139-137.

Playing like their season depended on it, Phoenix rallied from 21 points down to force overtime.  Both teams had opportunities to close out the game in each overtime session but the Lakers managed to tough it out.

"We really needed this game," said Channing Frye.  "This one hurts."

In defeat, the Suns drop to 35-34, now three games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth seed in the West (and one behind the Houston Rockets).

"We just didn’t make a couple of plays. That’s the bottom line. That’s kind of what has happened with our season really," said Coach Alvin Gentry. "Our season has come down to a couple of missed plays here and there, missed rebounds here and there and that makes it really, really tough. I thought we did a really great job. We competed our butts off."

The Grizzlies have the tie-breaker which will be difficult for the Suns to overcome but Phoenix will play the seventh-place New Orleans Hornets two more times before the season ends.

They’re four behind the Hornets but if the Suns can sweep the final two, they’ll cut that margin in half and own the tie-breaker.

"We’ve got a real difficult schedule but I will say this, when Steve [Nash] was healthy and Channing was healthy, we were starting to play very good basketball," said Gentry before the game.  "With Channing in our lineup, I think we’re 11-3 over the last 14 games.  I thought we were beginning to get to that point where were playing consistently and had some good wins but injuries are a part of it.  The four straight losses obviously set us back."

Nash scored 19 points (5-7 from three) and dished 20 assists.  Frye scored a team-high (and career high) 32 with 14 boards.

Marcin Gortat had a powerful 24 points and 16 boards with solid defense against Laker center Pau Gasol (Andrew Bynum was out serving the second game of a two-game suspension).

Gasol finished with 24 points but shot 9-25.  Kobe Bryant put in a season-high 42 points, grabbed 12 boards and missed the triple-double by just one assist.  Lamar Odom also put in his season-high at 29 with 16 boards.{AUTHOR_BOX}

"It was a big loss," said Nash.  "There’s no other way to put it."

The Suns get little sympathy from Bryant, "We had an opportunity to put them in a little bit of a hole in terms of getting into the playoffs and I can’t say I didn’t enjoy doing it."

A few key moments in the night: 

- Grant Hill hitting a three-pointer to tie the game at 112 with 31.8 seconds left in regulation.

- Odom intentionally taking a foul on Frye with 1.1 seconds left in the first overtime.  It’s ruled in the act of shooting and the Phoenix big man hit three free throws to knot the game up.  After the game, Lamar said he’ll be thinking about that play all night and in years to come.

-  Pau Gasol hitting two free throws with 2.5 seconds left in the second overtime to force a third.

- Coach Phil Jackson on Gasol, "That’s a tough situation he stood up to tonight."

- Hill picking up two quick fouls in the final sessions, his fifth and sixth.  His defense on Bryant was impressive late and Kobe was able to immediately take advantage once Grant was out.

- Bryant taking a difficult shot in transition (which he made) instead of simply stopping and waiting for the Suns to foul with the Lakers up two and under 24 seconds left.

- Vince Carter missing clutch shot after clutch shot.  One potential game winner was wide left by what, two feet?

- Ron Artest with multiple clutch baskets when the Lakers just couldn’t get a score.

- Jackson on Ron Artest, "I thought his defense as effective; gave us opportunities, advantages.  Like we had three leads in the last two minutes in regulation in the first two overtimes and we lost them.  Ron helped us get those."

- Bryant declaring after the game that Odom should be "Sixth Man of the Year.  Hands down."

- Odom declaring after the game he was in mood for pancakes.

The Lakers improve to 51-20 and are home, hosting the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.  The Suns return home and quickly host the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.

Philadelphia 76ers Turn Awful Start into Winning Season

The Philadelphia 76ers had an awful start to their 2010/11 NBA Season.  After finishing 27-55 last year, for the first few weeks of the season, it looked like another year in the lottery for the Sixers.

Somehow the team turned it around and at 36-34 are a near-lock for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.

"Really the key time for us . . . we had eight straight road games [starting in December].  You’re looking at, wow, you could be buried if something good doesn’t happen," said Coach Doug Collins.  "We went on the road and won three of the eight which kept us afloat.  That stretch and then right before the All-Star Break . . . we were 6-3 with three really good road wins.  We came after the break and went 7-2."

Now Philadelphia is 7 1/2 games ahead of the ninth place Milwaukee Bucks.

How did Collins, in his first year with the team, get his squad to start playing winning basketball?

"I think coach did a really good job holding guys accountable," said forward Elton Brand.  "Man to man he held us accountable.  He called everybody out, what we need to do to get better, what we need to do to win.  Once we bought in we’ve been playing excellent, top notch ball."

Collins deferred credit to the players, specifically the leadership of forward Andre Iguodala.

"I think the real turnaround for us, we had a game in Miami and we played [the HEAT] really well and they beat us in the fourth quarter," said Collins.  "Dre came into the locker room and said to the guys (and we have been 3-12 at the time, something like that, maybe even 3-13) and he said ‘Guys we’re really close.  We’re really playing well.  It’s about ready to turn for us.’"

The Miami loss was the Sixers’ 13th in 16 tries.  They’ve since gone 33-21.

Collins noted the hole was even deeper than that.

"I think if you even go back a year before, they finished the season 5-21," said Collins.  "So, if you put those two stretches together the team was actually 8-34."

The key for the Sixers coaching staff was to keep spirits high and make sure the players believed change was possible.

"We just stayed consistent in what we were trying to do," said Collins.  "When we lost really, really tough games we didn’t get into the depths of despair.  We just said we’re going to just keep working, working."

Collins also praised his staff for helping to give the players perspective when they were down.

"We had a lot of guys in the rotation trying to learn a new system," said Assistant Coach Michael Curry.  "When you go back early in the season when we started 3-13 . . .  we had a chance to be 7-9.  We gave away some games that we didn’t finish down the stretch but I think we learned from it and because of it, we’re better now.  We were able to take those losses and bad performances down the stretch and capitalize on it later in the season."

The Sixers have six players who average over 10 points a game including Brand at a team-high 14.9 points and Iguodala just below at 14.3.

"We are at our best when seven guys are in double-figures.  We beat the Celtics the other night and our leading scorer had 14 points," said Collins.  "That can be a blessing and a curse.  You might not have that guy to get you a big hoop at the end of the game but I think we’re a tough team to scout because from night to night you don’t know who is going to be that guy."

Despite no dominant scorer, the Sixers are in the middle-of-the-pack at 99.1 points per game.  After the four best teams in the East (Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic and HEAT), Philadelphia has the next best point-differential at 1.7 nightly which is right outside of the league’s top 10.

The Sixers shoot the ball well (46.2%).  They’re top-10 in assists (22.7 per game), rebounds (42.4) and steals (7.6).

Leading the team in assists is Iguodala (6.5 a game) slightly ahead of point guard Jrue Holiday.

"The thing I’m happy about is [Andre's] turnovers came down," said Collins.  "I was really concerned about this team being turnover prone.  Jrue and Dre, they were guys last year that made turnovers and I think . . . we’re top five.  At one point and time we were second in the league in turnovers.  We have to value the ball and execute."

Collins gave Iguodala the ball and let him operate in the offense as a point forward.

"First of all he’s very smart," said Collins of Iguodala.  "I think one of the advantages I had, his two favorite players had been Grant Hill and Scottie Pippen, and I’ve coached both those guys.  And I told him, ‘I said Dre, the one thing i will try to do is, I will try to most utilize your ability.’"  I’m putting the ball in his hands much more now and playing him to make plays for us.  He’s got great size and he can see over the defenses and make plays. "

The Sixers didn’t get much from Brand his first year with the club but he’s gotten over injuries and this is his second solid year for Philadelphia.

"I think health but it looks more like a resurgence because we’re winning," said Brand.  Last year i was prepared, you know what i mean, but we just lost a lot of games and it doesn’t look as pretty when you’re losing."

He’s excited at the opportunity to make it back to the playoffs.

"Having a chance at something, it really pushes you to be your best," said Brand.

However the season ends, Collins said it’s his privilege to be coaching this particular team.

"This is as good a group of guys as I’ve ever been around.  They’re young.  They’ve got a nice spirit about themselves.  They want to win.  I think they’re tired of losing.  We just have committed ourselves to trying to make this right.  We’re trying to take this step.  We’re not going to jump into the elite overnight.

"If we get into the playoffs, I told our guys, ‘We can learn more in a seven-game series or whatever we are in the first round, then you can in 82 games because those coaches go right for your weakness.  So you know exactly what they think of your teams in the playoffs because they’re going to go right where they think they can beat you.’"

The Sixers host the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night . . .