Channing Frye scored 31 points, 19 of them in the first quarter as the Phoenix Suns knocked off the Utah Jazz for the second time since Tyrone Corbin took over for Jerry Sloan. The final score here was 102-101, as Phoenix came back from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter to knock out the Jazz.
Frye couldn't miss early. He hit all seven of his first-quarter shots from the field, five of which were three-pointers. The lanky forward-center earned a five-year deal with the Suns last summer precisely because his shooting fit the system perfectly; it's hard to argue any differently after the clinic he put on.
But it's worth noting that the Suns were at their best when Steve Nash was orchestrating the offense in the second half; Nash was a +18 on the game, and had nine second-half assists to one turnover to help fuel Phoenix's comeback. Two Suns starters -- Vince Carter and Robin Lopez -- sat the entire fourth as coach Alvin Gentry relied on Frye and Marcin Gortat up front and Mickael Pietrus, Grant Hill and Jared Dudley in the wing spots.
Utah got little out of Deron Williams, who shot 2-11 on his way to 11 points. The Jazz were outscored by 16 points when Williams was in the game; Al Jefferson had 32 points and 10 rebounds, and Utah (as you'd expect) dominated the glass. But the Jazz defense was ineffective and its offense was uninspired.
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