Cleveland Cavaliers v Phoenix Suns

At age 36, Kevin Durant is a bucket.

Even with Evan Mobley — the betting favorite for Defensive Player of the Year — as the primary defender, Durant dropped 42 on the Cavaliers giving the Suns a critical win and the Cavaliers their fourth straight loss.

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Phoenix has won three in a row and, more importantly, is tied with Dallas for the final play-in spot in the West (the No. 10 seed). The Suns are defending better and finding their game with the playoffs a month away.

Durant poked holes in Evan Mobley’s case for Defensive Player of the Year: In the 4:42, Mobley was KD’s primary defender. He scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including a couple of 3-pointers, and the Mavericks as a team scored 23 points in those minutes. DeAndre Hunter also got time on Durant, but that went worse, with Durant shooting 6-of-10 in those nearly four minutes.

Cleveland has lost four in a row and looked out of sync as they swing through a West Coast road trip, nobody more than Donovan Mitchell, who started the game 0-of-7 and finished the night 2-of-18 from the floor. All of this is a troubling sign for a Cavaliers team that has serious playoff aspirations. It’s possible teams are starting to figure out the Cavaliers, that said the streak likely ends on Sunday when Cleveland faces Utah.