The Cavs(26-15) continued their five-game road trip in Phoenix against the Suns on Sunday night. After resting in the team’s loss to the Nuggets on Friday night, Cleveland got back their leading scorer Donovan Mitchell.
Fortunately for the Cavs, the Suns(20-21) were without their starting backcourt of Chris Paul(hip) and Devin Booker(groin), and ultimately, Cleveland led by as many as 22 points and defeated Phoenix 112-98 at Footprint Center.
With the win, the Cavs, who beat the Suns 90-88 last week at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, swept the season-series.
Cleveland has won four out of their last five, while the Suns have lost six straight.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ win over the Suns.
Great:
Starting Backcourt: Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland had 22 points apiece. Garland added seven assists. Mitchell and Garland combined for 44 points, and they were reunited, and it felt so good.
Jarrett Allen had his team-leading 15th double-double on Sunday with 13 points, a game-high 12 rebounds, and a season-high five assists.
Shooting: Cleveland shot 57% from the field against the Suns. Cleveland made 11 threes on Sunday night, but most of their damage came in the paint, as the Cavs had 52 points in the paint.
According to Cavs Notes, this is their highest field goal percentage in any road game since 2015.
Fourth Quarter: The Cavs took an 80-79 lead into the fourth, and they took over from there. Cleveland went on a 23-4 run to take a 103-83 lead with just under four minutes to go. The Cavs shot 66% from the field in the fourth, outscored the Suns 32-19 in the quarter, and a close game became a rout!
Not So Great:
After that fourth quarter for the Cavs, there are no complaints. Turnovers(14) were a little high, but hey, they won.
Bottom Line:
In the NBA, when you have an opportunity to defeat a team that is down, you have to get the job done, and that’s what the Cavs did on Sunday night. They took advantage of a depleted Suns team.
The Cavs have reached the halfway point of their schedule, and after 41 games, here are a few things we know about this team:
-Donovan Mitchell is the real deal
-The Cavs are an outstanding home team(18-4)
-The Cavs are a mediocre road team(8-11)
-Cleveland is a great defensive team(the number one-rated defensive team in NBA)
-They are legitimate contenders in the Eastern Conference and could make a deep playoff run
What’s Next:
Cleveland heads to Utah to battle the Jazz on Tuesday night as Mitchell faces off against his former team.
Best of the Rest:
Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro had 14 points apiece, and Caris LeVert had 13 points off the bench. Cleveland had six players in double figures, including all five starters.
For the Suns, Duane Washington Jr. led the Suns with 25 points off the bench, and Deandre Ayton had a double-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists.
