An order of bad sushi made all the difference today as Phoenix upset the favored Houston 119-101. Dupree had a huge game for Phoenix, spoiling an otherwise solid performance by Houston star Laboy in a game that could have post-season implications.

Houston apparantly had dinner together as team last night at a local sushi bar with most unfortunate results. Several team members spent the night in the hospital, while other team members got very little sleep as they rotated turns at their hotel room's toilets. The fatigue was evident from the beginning.

"You feel sorry for them," quipped Phoenix coach Bob. "That's a terrible thing to happen to anybody, but we had a job to do. There's no charity in this game." Houston coach Bob was apologetic to Houston fans. "Obviously we didn't see this coming, and I regret that we couldn't put a better product on the field today. I thought we still had enough to win, but it just wasn't going to happen."

Phoenix was led by Dupree (24 points, 10 boards, 1 assists, a steal, a block), Mercer (8 points, 12 assists, 3 steals), Oh (24 points, a block). Houston was led by Laboy (28 points, a steal), Sims (17 points, 2 assists, a block), Groninger (14 points, 1 assists, a steal, a block).

Phoenix are now 26-32 and 16-15 at home. They remain at #3 in the Pacific and hold at #10 overall in the Western Conference. Houston are now 33-27. They stay at #2 in the Southwest and stay at #6 overall in the Western Conference.

box score Phoenix roster Houston roster