The Phoenix Suns must be wondering what will happen next.

Already hampered by a flu bug that's sweeping its way through the locker room, the top team in the Western Conference lost Grant Hill for a couple of week to appendicitis early in the day on Wednesday.

And last night, opponents finally figured out a way to stop point guard Steve Nash – just infuse him with stomach flu. A weakened Nash only lasted 24 minutes before coming out in the third quarter, and he was clearly laboring, managing just 3-of-8 from the field for nine points and four assists with four turnovers.

The Suns were able to rally in the second half and pull out a victory over Indiana in OT, but Nash did not join the rest of his teammates on the late flight to Utah for tonight's game. There's a chance, however, he'll still catch up with the team should he feel better. Leandro Barbosa, already experiencing a nice boost in value with Hill out, should get the starting assignment and be in line for a big performance should Captain Canada be ruled out Thursday. Marcus Banks, who has worked his way back into the rotation of late, should get some extra burn, too.

Unfortunately, the ills and spills don't stop there for the Suns. Shawn Marion took a hard fall on his right shoulder and elbow and after the game was seen wincing while getting dressed.

On the plus side, Raja Bell, limited to three minutes of action Saturday because of that flu bug that made him lose six pounds, is looking much better now. After he exploded for a season-best 27 points with nine rebounds, four assists, two steals, a block and six treys, it's clear Bell will also be a major beneficiary in the wake of Hill's health woes.

And, of course, it sure helped that Amare Stoudemire did his thing, going off for 25 points and 11 rebounds. When Stat hits the 20-10 mark, good things happen for the Suns – always. This season, Phoenix is 14-0 when he does so.

At least coach Mike D'Antoni, also under the weather, hasn't lost his sense of humor about the Suns being ravaged by illness. "We had a couple of guys that had a bug, and we had two or three in the first half who probably should have had an appendectomy," he quipped to the Arizona Republic.

For Indy, which blew an 83-69 lead to lose its eight game in nine tries, the news keeps getting worse. Jermaine O'Neal (knee) is still unable to play in the second half of back-to-back games. Travis Diener, who was actually looking decent for once, had to come out early after spraining his ankle. And Kareem Rush, who got to start with J.O. out, was also forced out early with a back injury, although he said he'll be ready to go for the Pacers' next game on Saturday. Now that the Cavs are playing much better, the Pacers find themselves in serious trouble, with the final playoff spot in the East slipping further away.

No doubt the Pacers are stoked to get Jamaal Tinsley back from his hamstring injury earlier in the week, and his 19 points, 11 assists, two blocks and two steals last night sure were sweet for his owners. But Tinsley decided to try to take over the game down the stretch, and he sunk just 4-of-18 shots in the fourth quarter and overtime combined, giving him an overall night of 8-for-26. He also continued to put up way more long distance attempts than he should considering how badly he's done this year in that department (28.5 percent from beyond the arc). Nights like Wednesday's 0-for-7 aren't helping. Uh, dude, you might want to try to get some of your teammates involved at crunch time.

With the Suns continuing to hold on to the top spot in the West but looking suddenly vulnerable these days, let's turn our attention to the rest of the action that was on Wednesday…

• Al Horford did it again last night. The Hawks' rookie, who has already managed to knock T.J. Ford out earlier this season, collided with Anderson Varejao Wednesday, leaving the Cav forward with a bruised left knee and Achilles injury. Sideshow Bob already was slowed by a quad injury, and it was showing as he went just 1-of-4 for two points and five boards in 24 minutes before getting hurt and coming out early in the fourth quarter. So these new injuries could definitely be a problem despite the fact Varejao is insisting that he'll be fine. This may not be as bad at it looked, but we'll know more after he undergoes an MRI today to discover how serious the Achilles injury is. Drew Gooden got a bit of extra PT, and responded with a double-double, so look for him to have more value over this stretch.



• With T-Mac out, Yao Ming is playing some heavy minutes and he's been doing his best to keep the Rockets rolling, going off for a season-high 36 last night as Houston won its season-best fourth straight game. Of course, it was only against the Knicks (damn, I think I might manage double digits against them), but the big man was superb, sinking 14-of-21 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the line. He added 11 rebounds and three assists, and is now averaging 26.4 PPG over the past five. I'm worried about the workload he's carrying these days, and overall, I still want to see him get to the line more often to help supplement his totals, but right now Yao is capable of carrying your team. By the way, maybe McGrady shouldn't hurry back. Houston has gone 6-2 since he went down. Yes, two of those wins are against New York, a team the Rockets have won seven straight against, but Houston's hot streak has it back in the playoff hunt, closing in on the Warriors, who are spinning their wheels lately.



• Andrei Kirilenko (back), who has missed the last two games, is considered doubtful for tonight's game against Phoenix, as is teammate Ronnie Price (ankle). Utah could definitely use all hands on deck against the Western Conference-leading Suns, and AK-47 calls himself a game-time decision, but he's barely practiced, so I wouldn't hold my breath on this one. Kirilenko's role in the Jazz offense has increased this season after last year's debacle, and overall, he's made a nice comeback, but you probably won't be able to count on him until next week.

Injury Report

After Boston's nine-game winning streak was snapped by (gasp) the Bobcats, it's hardly time to press the panic button as a Celtic fan, but I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear the good news: Ray Allen (neck) and Glen Davis (knee) are expected back in action tomorrow night against the Nets. Allen was in a serious slump before sitting last night, and he looked very good in shootaround Wednesday, so let's hope taking a game off will help him shake his recent woes. Given that his overall numbers have dropped dramatically in Boston's three-star system, Allen owners can ill afford to have him missing time or playing at less than 100 percent. Davis' injury was poorly timed, as he was really starting to gain traction and had gone off for a career-high 20 points Saturday in the win over Detroit. Big Baby could definitely be someone to keep an eye on as he earns more PT off the Boston bench.

Tip-Ins: T.J. Ford, cleared to begin working out yesterday, went home to Houston to continue rehabbing his back and neck. Raptor officials remain cautiously optimistic that Ford will return to the court at some point this season, but at this point, there's no timetable…You think Jason Richardson has started to settle in as a Bobcat? After a sluggish start (16.9 PPG in November), he's gotten better and better (20.2 PPG in December; 28.2 PPG in January) and is now looking unstoppable. In leading a shocking upset over Boston, J-Rich went off for 34 points Wednesday – his 10th straight game of at least 20 points – and added nine rebounds, three assists and two steals…Lots of changes in Orlando, as Jameer Nelson returned to the starting lineup in favor of Carlos Arroyo and Maurice Evans got a start over Keith Bogans. Nelson came through with 14 points, nine assists, five rebounds and two treys, so perhaps the benching worked. Evans had 13 points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal and is someone to at least track with Bogans struggling off the bench Wednesday...LeBron James bounced back after somewhat of an off game on Tuesday, nailing 13-of-22 last night for 31 points with 10 rebounds, three steals and a block. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough for Cleveland…Brandon Roy looks like he's skating on thin ice these days. He was questionable heading into last night's action with a tailbone injury and hurt his right knee just before halftime, although he was okay for the second half. Clearly, these woes are affecting his shooting, as he was just 4-for-12 for eight points. On the plus side, Roy is capable of helping in other areas, as evidenced by his eight dimes and eight boards. With Portland scorching (17 wins in 18 games), there is no reason for the Blazers to push him too hard right now, so Roy's value could wane for a few games…Don't sweat Baron Davis' disaster of a game last night – 1-for-6 for four points, one assist and one rebound in just 14 minutes. With the Warriors looking early like they would become the latest victim of the Portland onslaught, coach Nelson pulled the starters quickly. I'm worried about the minutes the injury-prone B. Diddy has logged this year anyways, so a quiet night is a good thing in the big picture. Davis, who has been throwing up long distance shots like they are going out of style, is enjoying a tremendous season, so his owners should not fret if Nellie wants to go all Nellie-like every now and then and sit his stars…Coach Reggie Theus is getting frustrated that Kevin Martin (groin) is still not ready for game action, but reports indicate that K-Mart will be good to go Monday…Fantastic news for Shaun Livingston, as reports suggest he will make a full recovery. He's been out with a horrific knee injury suffered 10 and a half months ago, but team officials now believe he'll return before the end of the season. I don't expect miracles this year, but it's a good story nonetheless…Isiah Thomas got the heave-ho last night for going on to the court to argue a call. He may have bumped the official so could face a suspension pending a review. Is this the break the Knicks need to turn around a nightmare season?...Rafer Alston will remain a hot pickup this week after pouring in 20 points last night to go along with eight assists, six boards and three 3-pointers…Maybe it's time to reconsider Luis Scola. He scored nine of his 19 points in the final quarter and pitched in with two assists and two steals. Watch him…Another Rocket worth tracking is Chuck Hayes. If he can throw up more games like last night (13 rebounds), he'll help take the pressure off of Yao on the glass and will earn himself more PT...John Salmons' fantasy value is nearing an end anyways, but he may miss tonight's game because of a fever…Brad Miller (flu) has been missing practice lately, but is expected to suit up tonight…I don't care how deep your league is – give up on Zaza Puchulia (toenail) already, people! Al Horford will continue to start – and injure opponents – for the remainder of the season. The rook racked up another double-double last night, and tossed up his second straight multi-block game.

Rob Blackstien runs www.RotoRob.com, a site featuring daily fantasy sports analysis. In addition to his baseball work on the site, he contributes to Rotoworld’s basketball coverage. Rob also writes for CREATiVESPORTS.com, BaseballNotebook.com and has contributed to Rotoman’s Fantasy Baseball Guide and Fantasy Football Guide.

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