Cleveland Cavaliers Head to the Desert To Face Phoenix, Starting a Five-Game Road Trip

The Cleveland Cavaliers aim to continue their scorching hot form when they face the Phoenix Suns tonight (Friday).

Cleveland has won a season-best five straight games and is locked in a four-team battle for the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed behind Detroit.

The Cavs are coming off a dominant 129-99 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. Cleveland has won seven of its last eight games and begins a five-game road trip that also includes stops against the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets.

Donovan Mitchell led the way with 25 points against the Lakers as Cleveland outscored Los Angeles 72-44 in the second half. Mitchell is averaging 29.4 points per game, fifth in the NBA, and has 170 made three-pointers — one shy of league leader Stephen Curry.

Second-year wing Jaylon Tyson added 20 points, six assists, and six rebounds while making his eighth straight start.

Tyson’s emergence has helped offset injuries to Darius Garland (toe) and Evan Mobley (calf). Garland has missed seven straight games, while Mobley will sit out for a second consecutive contest.

Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said he has been impressed with Tyson, who is averaging 13.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in 44 games, including 29 starts in a breakout season.

“It bodes really well for our future to have a 6-foot-7 wing who can be a secondary playmaker,” Atkinson said. However, he stopped short of calling the Lakers’ win a statement but acknowledged its importance.

Former Cavaliers star LeBron James was held to 11 points, marking his worst loss in Cleveland as a visiting player.

Dillion the Villain awaits the Cavs

The Phoenix Suns handed out “Dillon the Villain” T-shirts to fans Thursday night — and Dillon Brooks made sure the nickname lived up to the hype.

Brooks enjoyed a career-high 40 points, knocking down four three-pointers, as the Suns opened a back-to-back with a convincing 114-96 win over the Detroit Pistons.

“I didn’t want to disappoint and lose on my villain night,” Brooks said in a postgame TV interview.

Brooks also chipped in eight rebounds and four assists as the Suns earned their second straight victory without leading scorer Devin Booker, who remains sidelined with a sprained ankle.

Phoenix rediscovered its shooting touch, going 16-for-42 from beyond the arc after hitting just 12 of 55 over the previous two games.

Collin Gillespie drilled five three-pointers, while Grayson Allen added four. Suns coach Jordan Ott said he didn’t even know about the Brooks T-shirt promotion until after the game.

“We can give it away every night if it looks like that,” said Ott, who was a Cleveland assistant last season.