As part of a stacked Martin Luther King Jr. Day NBA slate, the Phoenix Suns were dominated by the NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers in a 118-92 loss as Phoenix’s road trip nears it’s end.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Kevin Durant was the only Sun able to get something going offensively, scoring 23 points (9-16 FG) in 31 minutes. Devin Booker and Tyus Jones followed with 15 and 13 points each. Booker ended a five-game streak of 30-plus-point games.
Despite missing Evan Mobley, Isaac Okoro and Caris LeVert, the Cavaliers didn’t skip a beat offensively. Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 33 points, five rebounds and five assists. Darius Garland added 16 points and seven assists in 25 minutes. Jarrett Allen scored 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 22 minutes.
The Suns (21-21) fall back to .500 against the Cavaliers (36-6) and will close out their five-game road trip against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. MST.
Durant, Suns battle from behind in 3rd quarter
Despite Kevin Durant scoring 23 points through three quarters, a costly turnover gave the Cavaliers a good third quarter cushion, 93-70.
Phoenix shot an efficient 27-of-56 (48.2%) from the field, but 14 turnovers gave Cleveland 18 more shot attempts. The Cavaliers scored 11 points of the Suns’ turnovers.
Devin Booker scored seven points in the quarter after scoring just six in the first half.
Cleveland started the second half on a 16-5 run to take a 23-point over the Suns with 6:55 left in the third quarter. Evan Mobley gave the Cavs multiple second chances offensively, snagging four offensive rebounds in the quarter to go along with his 12 points and 11 total rebounds.
Donovan Mitchell scored 12 points in the quarter to bring his total to 22 points to that point.
Jan 20, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Georges Niang (20) defends Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) in the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Garland, Cavs stall Suns in 2nd quarter
Darius Garland scored 10 of his game-high 14 first half points to give the Cavs a 59-46 lead over the Suns going into halftime.
The Suns’ offense stalled in the second quarter despite an aggressive 11 points (4-of-6 FG) from Tyus Jones. Kevin Durant led Phoenix in the first half with 13 points and 5 rebounds.
The Cavaliers started the second quarter on a 15-5 run to give them a 10-point lead just under the seven-minute mark. Cavs guards Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland were responsible for 12 points in that span.
Garland (14 points) and Mitchell (10 points) led Cleveland after one half.
Jan 20, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) dribbles around center Jarrett Allen (31) and Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) in the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Beal sparks off bench to keep Suns close in 1st quarter
Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal led the Suns’ balanced effort to keep pace with the Cavs’ NBA-best offense. Their six and five points respectively gave Phoenix a 27-27 tie with Cleveland after first quarter despite six Suns turnovers.
Beal, who missed the last two games with a left ankle sprain, started his first three possessions back with an assist to Booker for a 21-foot jump shot, a corner 3-pointer and a drop off to Mason Plumlee for his second assist.
Newly-acquired center Nick Richards notched the first start of his Suns career in just his second game with the team. The 5-year big man stunned in his Phoenix debut, putting up 21 points and 11 rebounds in a 125-121 win against the Detroit Pistons on Saturday.
Injury report
Cleveland was without All-Defensive forward Evan Mobley (calf), Caris LeVert (wrist) and Isaac Okoro (shoulder). Phoenix guard Bradley Beal (ankle) was made available pregame after missing his last two games.
Suns Center Jusuf Nurkic (return to competition reconditioning) did not travel with the team at the start of the team’s five-game road trip and will not be back until they return to Phoenix against the Washington Wizards on Jan. 25. The Suns wrap up their road trip in Brooklyn against the Nets on Wednesday.
*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, and exclusive content. SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*
Reporter Connor Moreno covers the Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @cmorenosports, and on Bluesky, @cloading.bsky.social
