Phoenix center Jake Voskuhl may suit up as early as Sunday after undergoing an emergency appendectomy on Dec. 10.

"When he feels comfortable and if he gets through a couple days of contact and feels good, he would be cleared to go," Suns head athletic trainer Aaron Nelson said.

The NBA?s two best records both added a defeat to the win/loss column last night.  

Behind Allen Iverson?s 34 points (13 in the fourth quarter), the Sixers squeaked past the Seattle Supersonics 114-107 in the Key Arena.  With the loss, the division leading Sonics fell to 20-6 on the season.

Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs ended the Phoenix Suns? 11-game winning streak with an impressive 115-94 victory putting the Suns at 24-4 on the season.

"They're a championship-caliber team," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said of the Spurs, "and we're climbing up the ladder. We know that. We're not disheartened by being 24-4 and coming back and understanding what we need to do."

The Philadelphia 76ers? Allen Iverson and the Phoenix Suns? Steve Nash today were named the Eastern Conference and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, December 20 through Sunday, December 26.

Iverson led the Sixers to a 1-1 week, averaging league-highs in points (45.5) and steals (4.0), while tallying 5.5 assists per game in contests against Utah and Indiana. Iverson shot 30-of-54 (55.6%) and 6-of-12 (50.0%) from three-point range this week, up considerably from season averages of 42% shooting and 29.1% three-point shooting. He recorded his second 50-point game of the season on December 20, scoring 51 versus the Jazz.

Nash led the Suns to a perfect 3-0 week, extending their best start in franchise history and maintaining the best record in the NBA at 24-3. He averaged 16.7 points on .545 shooting and a league-high 12.3 assists per game in wins over Denver, Memphis and Toronto. In the Suns 106-94 win over the Raptors on December 26, Nash set an NBA record for most consecutive winning games with double figure assists with 11, surpassing Magic Johnson?s record of 10 during the 1986-87 season.

The NBA?s #1 team won their eleventh straight game, staving off a fierce comeback from the Toronto Raptors.

Led by Steve Nash?s 18 points and 13 assist, which was his 11th consecutive points/assists double-double in consecutive victories.  He is the first NBA player to do so.

With the win the Suns now move to 24-3 on the season.

Steve Nash, the scrappy point guard for the NBA?s best team, The Phoenix Suns has suddenly found himself among special company.  

With his 10th straight double-digit assist game last Thursday, Mr. Nash has become only the second player to accomplish this feet in 10 consecutive victories.  The other, a little known point guard who went by the name of Magic Johnson.

"It's something I don't really think about, but to be mentioned with Magic Johnson at any time is a honor and I am lucky my teammates make it easy for me," Nash said.

And you thought Baseball was the only sport that kept obscure statistics.

The Phoenix Suns improved to 23-3 last night beating the Memphis Grizzlies 109-102.  Phoenix?s fast start marks the best opening record since Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls went 41-3 in the 1995-1996 NBA season.

Amare Stoudemire paced the Suns with 30 points, 11 rebounds and five steals.

After playing on Monday night in the Mile High City, Suns guard Joe Johnson said he will consider Denver when he becomes a restricted free agent in the summer.

"I'm going to take a look at it," he said. "I'm going to take a look at whoever's willing to offer. It's going to be a tough decision."

Johnson, averaging 16.3 points, said he "would love to come back" to Phoenix next season.

The Suns can match any offer for Johnson but might try to move him in a sign-and-trade for a big man.

The Miami Heat?s Shaquille O?Neal and the Phoenix Suns? Shawn Marion today were named the Eastern Conference and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, December 13 through Sunday, December 19.

O?Neal brought the Heat to a 4-0 record with home victories over Washington, Denver and Orlando and a road victory at Washington. He averaged 25 points on 65.6 percent shooting, 10.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.25 blocks. He recorded three double-doubles and led the Heat in minutes, rebounds and blocks in three of the four games.

With the Suns off to their best start in franchise history (21-3), Marion tallied three double-doubles this week. Marion led the Suns to a perfect 4-0 record this week, averaging a team-high 23.3 points on 53.0 percent shooting, 10.8 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.25 blocks in wins over Orlando, Utah, Seattle and Washington.

This week, Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni took exception to Steve Francis' comments that the Suns' up-tempo style will not work in the playoffs and that no team has run to a title.

"I'm not sure he is a cerebral player," D'Antoni told the Arizona Republic. "He's a talented player who's very good in our league. I love Steve Francis, but he's not known for his thinking on the floor. Maybe he's too young to remember Los Angeles (with the Showtime Lakers) and the old Celtics.

"I don't think (playoff success) has anything to do with whether you play fast or slow. ... Either you're slugging it out or you're having people try to catch you. I'd rather have people try to catch me than slug it out. I've been a chicken all my life. Slugging it out doesn't interest me."

The Phoenix Suns activated forward/center Jackson Vroman today and in doing so, waived guard Yuta Tabuse. The Suns roster now stands at 13 players.

Tabuse averaged 1.8 points, 1.0 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 4.3 minutes in four games this season. The 5-9, 165-pound guard made NBA history on November 3 in the season opener vs. the Hawks by becoming the first Japanese-born player to appear in an NBA game when he scored seven points in 10 minutes played. Tabuse, who missed 16 games due to a right quadriceps strain, was activated off the injured list on December 10.

?We appreciate Yuta?s contributions this season and recognize that he has a lot to offer an NBA team,? Suns President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo said. ?This decision has been made in part to satisfy his need to develop and that comes with the opportunity to play consistently. This is by no means the end of the line for Yuta and we will monitor his progress closely.?

Tabuse added, ?I am very grateful to the Suns and their fans for the opportunity here. I am disappointed that I will not be able to continue to be part of this team, but I have learned that I belong on this level. I am looking forward to continuing my career and building on my NBA experience.?