Suns Embarrassed by Cavaliers in Blowout Loss

The Phoenix Suns (21-21) looked overmatched in nearly every aspect in a 118-92 blowout loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who continue to have the best record in the NBA at 36-6, Monday afternoon.

The Cavaliers outscored the Suns by 23 points in the second and third quarters to propel themselves to the win.

Phoenix shot 47% from the floor, but the Cavs had 18 more field goal attempts (95-77) due to the Suns having 17 turnovers and Cleveland winning the offensive rebounds 15-1. The Cavaliers, who had nine turnovers, won the points off turnovers 15-7 and second-chance points 23-4.

Cleveland also shot 19-for-46 (41.3%) from three compared to 10-for-26 (38.5%) for the Suns.

Kevin Durant had a team-high 23 points (9-16 FG) and seven rebounds for the Suns. Coming off five-straight 30-point games, Devin Booker struggled with 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting and six turnovers.

Bradley Beal recorded only five points on 2-of-4 shooting in 25 minutes in his return from a two-game absence due to an ankle sprain. Tyus Jones notched 13 points after five-straight games of not scoring in double figures.

The Cavaliers, who were down Evan Mobley, Caris LeVert and Isaac Okoro to injury, were led by Donovan Mitchell's 33 points (11-25 FG). Darius Garland had 16 points and seven assists, and Jarrett Allen posted a 12-point, 11-rebound double double.

Quick Recap

The two teams were knotted at 27 after the first quarter of action. Durant led Phoenix with six points, and Jones and Beal had five. Cleveland shot 10-for-26 (38.5%) in the quarter, while the Suns were 11-for-19 (57.9%) from the floor, but had six turnovers to only one for the Cavs.

The Cavaliers began the second quarter on a 9-0 run, as the Suns struggled to play against their zone defense. They built this to a 59-46 halftime lead, winning the points off turnovers 9-0, forcing nine Phoenix turnovers. Darius Garland led all scorers with 14 for the Cavs, while Durant (13 points, 5 rebounds) and Jones (11 points) were in double figures for the Suns.

After Durant scored the first two points of the third quarter, Cleveland responded with an 11-0 run to extend its lead to 22. An 11-2 Phoenix run later in the period cut the Cleveland lead to 14. At the end of the third, the Cavaliers were up 93-70 after a last-second three by Donovan Mitchell, who had 22 points through three quarters. Durant led all scorers with 23 to go along with seven rebounds.

Cleveland was up by 32 points with 7:36 to go, and both teams emptied their benches.

What's Next

The Suns will conclude their five-game road trip Wednesday night against the Brooklyn Nets.