PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns took down the Cleveland Cavaliers, 123-112, to extend their winning streak to three games.
The Suns were led by forward Kevin Durant, who finished with 42 points. Durant had his best game of the season and maybe in his Suns tenure as he scored 29 points in the second half to lead Phoenix to its best win of the year.
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 22, 2025
Devin Booker finished second on the Suns’ team with 17 points, 10 of which came in the second half.
The Suns are currently tied with the Dallas Mavericks for the No. 10 seed in the West.
Leaders
- Kevin Durant: 42 PTS (17-of-29 FG), 8 AST, 6 REB
- Devin Booker: 17 PTS (7-of-17), 10 AST
- Tyus Jones: 16 PTS (6-of-11, 4-of-9 3-point FG), 4 REB, 3 AST
- Oso Ighodaro: 6 PTS (3-of-7), 13 REB, 4 AST
This version of KD is capable of leading the Suns to a win against anyone. Complete dominant performance.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) March 22, 2025
Suns rookies saving everyone’s jobs, one game at a time
— Brendon Kleen (@BrendonKleen14) March 22, 2025
Game Flow
First Half
Phoenix’s offense was the reason why it took a one-point lead after the first quarter. The Suns buried seven threes — Royce O’Neale made three of them — and took care of the ball, committing just two turnovers.
In the second quarter, the Suns’ defense was the reason they took a surprising 11-point halftime lead.
The Cavs’ league-best offense struggled mightily for most of the first half. Darius Garland, who is looking to be a leader for Cleveland, turned the ball over three times. The Cavs had seven first-half turnovers and Phoenix took advantage with 13 points off those giveaways.
Cleveland made just 7-of-21 shots in the second quarter and 2-of-9 from three. That was a stark difference from the game on Jan. 20, when the Cavs took a big lead thanks to five second-quarter threes.
The Cavaliers’ top scorer, Donovan Mitchell, was held to three points on 1-of-8 field goals. The Cavs shot 46.5% in the first half and were out-of-sorts since their starters combined to shoot 11-of-28.
Kevin Durant was the Suns’ top first-half scorer with 13. He also added seven assists.
Without Nick Richards and Mason Plumlee, rookie Oso Ighodaro was huge with seven first-half rebounds. Even though Phoenix is undersized without their top two centers, they had a 28-16 edge on the glass.
The Suns continue to play disruptively. It’s beautiful to watch. The offense is so talented, it should take care of itself. But when the team is disruptive on D and the glass? They’re special.
— John Voita (@DarthVoita) March 22, 2025
Second Half
Without Richards, the Cavaliers hoped to wear down the smaller Suns. The opposite took place.
So, uhhh, the Suns are kinda cooking the Eastern Conference leader right now
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) March 22, 2025
Durant was on fire in the third quarter, scoring 19 points. He was excellent and looked all-the-bit like an All-NBA player at age 36.
Cleveland’s defense is predicated on forcing opposing teams to shoot away from the basket. The Suns, however, have an ultra-rare scorer who can make things happen from all three levels. His third quarter was a fun one to watch.
Expectedly, the Cavaliers made a game out of it. The Suns’ double-digit, second-half lead fell to as few as seven points with two minutes to go. Cleveland’s fourth-quarter effort though was stood up by KD, who had 10 in the fourth. His three with 1:10 left in the quarter twisted the knife in Cleveland’s heart, putting the Suns up by 12 points.
The Suns didn’t need Richards and Plumlee to win tonight’s battle on the boards. Ighodaro was impressive, playing 44 minutes and recording 13 rebounds. Ryan Dunn (nine rebounds), Durant (six) and Cody Martin (six) were also active for the Suns.
Book’s 3-of-5 shooting and four assists were also important in the win.
The Cavaliers shot 44.7% from the field and 37.8% from three. However, Mitchell was just 2-of-18 and 0-of-8 from three. No Cavalier scored more than 18 points.
Up Next
Phoenix will play its next game on Monday versus the Milwaukee Bucks. The game is at 7 p.m. and will be televised on NBA TV.
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