Game Recap: Suns climb into the 6th seed with 122-101 win over the Cavs

The Phoenix Suns finished off the Cleveland Cavaliers 122-101 in another impressive win, sweeping their season series with the team that is third in the Eastern Conference.

Devin Booker and Kevin Durant were absolutely incredible from the field, combing for 72 points, while Bradley Beal took a back seat when it came to shooting but managed to find his teammates, dishing out seven assists.

The Suns still had their issues in starting the third and fourth quarter, allowing the Cavs to cut into their 20+ point lead. Starting those quarters off slow, the Suns would eventually pick up the pace and extend the lead once again to 20+.

It wasn’t a perfect full 48 minutes, but the Suns are close to getting there.

Game Flow

First Half

Poor with the ball, the Cavs ended the first quarter with six turnovers, allowing the Suns to take a 32-20 lead into the second quarter. The Suns weren’t too sharp to start the game as well, giving the ball up five times. Luckily the Suns were able to knock down four of their first eight three-pointers behind Royce O’Neale’s two made threes.

Bradley Beal didn’t offer much on offense, trying to differ and hit the open man. His play on defense made up for the lack of shooting, stealing the play of the first quarter for the Suns.

On pace for another 52-point game, Booker ended the first quarter with 13 points along with Durant's eight. Durant struggled early but continued to force the issue with his shot, helping push a Suns lead to as high as 17 points.

The Suns were helped by Donovan Mitchell's poor shooting from the field, hitting only two of his first seven shots, with Cavs fans pleading for them to sit him.

Durant refused to slow down, hitting three of his first four shots to start the second quarter. He helped push the Suns' lead to 21 points and with Booker returning from the bench, the floor was open again for Royce, continuing to hit the outside shot.

It was incredible to watch the Suns control the game on the offensive side of the ball. Everyone was involved.

Now, take a look at the stats the Suns put up entering the second half.

The Cavs ended the first half shooting 46% from the field and 27% from three. Turning the ball over 11 times and outrebounded 24-14, the Cavs had a steep hill to climb after two quarters.

Second Half

The Cavs started the second half strong, going on a 17-5 run, forcing two terrible turnovers by the Suns, leading to five points on the other end. Within the first six minutes of the third quarter, the Cavs were 100% from the field and the Suns only had five points.

The Suns lead dwindled down to 13 points, and you could see the momentum swing to the Cavs. Led by Mitchell, the Cavs continued to push back, but by the middle of the third, Booker and Durant had the Suns lead back up to 17, gaining control of the game once again.

It was then a 13-4 run by the Suns after Durant hit his 11th FG, making that 25 points for the game.

The Caves started the second half 7-7 from the field, then struggled the remainder of the quarter, finishing 12-23. The Suns took a 98-77 lead into the fourth quarter. After struggling to hit a shot early, they ended the quarter with 26 points, behind 15 for Booker and 8 from Durant.

It was a struggle again to start the fourth quarter for the Suns. The Cavs continued to hang around with the Suns turning the ball over three times early on in the quarter. Led by Durant's seven points, the Suns pushed the lead back up to 19 around the five-minute mark, and that was enough for the Suns to take a 122-101 victory over the Cavs.

Up Next

The Suns host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night in downtown Phoenix.