Monday was a huge opportunity for the Phoenix Suns, taking on a great Cleveland Cavaliers team without Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Max Strus and Dean Wade in their fifth game in seven days.
Even with Devin Booker returning after a four-game absence, it took a lot more effort than expected for a 117-111 victory.
Following a response from the Suns (38-27) midway through the quarters after a lukewarm start, Cleveland (41-24) actually had several chances to win the game. It was two points with 90 seconds remaining, but back-to-back turnovers by the Cavaliers allowed Phoenix to get the ball back with 26 seconds left and a two-point lead.
Grayson Allen fouled out, made both free throws and Kevin Durant did a great job defending the rim while securing the ball to close out the game.
It was a 20-point fourth quarter. The Suns demand major improvement in those 12 minutes to have a chance in the playoffs and there still haven’t been many signs of growth since the All-Star break.
Durant continued his blistering pace in recent weeks with 37 points (14 of 26), eight rebounds, six assists and three turnovers. Even with a good top six rotation, Durant played 39 minutes. Eric Gordon and Josh Okogie were both absent.
Booker looked like him, contributing 27 points, six rebounds and seven assists (with two turnovers) in what was a very good game from Bradley Beal. Beal added 24 points, four assists, three steals and a turnover.
Phoenix got off to a lackluster start that was more due to mental errors than anything else, allowing Cleveland to take an 18-point lead early in the second quarter. Star guard Darius Garland had too much air space early and scored 21 of his 30 points in the first quarter.
That’s when the Suns’ defensive intensity and focus increased. Also, Booker was very aggressive. Booker will almost always play at the pace of a game, but when he hasn’t been heavily involved in a start going bad for Phoenix, he will often try to take over as best he can. That was true more than half a decade ago and it remains true today on much better teams.
The charge from Booker and the defense inspired a 19-7 run to end the half with the Suns trailing just seven points.
This persisted outside of halftime, where momentum from the defense carried over to the other side of the court and ridiculous shooting from everyone in the Big 3. It was mostly Durant and Booker after Beal did a great job being efficient while Phoenix figured out everything else in the first 18 minutes.
Booker grabbed four offensive rebounds to start the second half, tying his career high in a short span. That included three on the same possession.
Booker is EVERYWHERE in this possession pic.twitter.com/ThLue0dHRX
-Cage (@ridiculouscage) March 12, 2024
A 34-21 Suns third quarter included 19 of them through Durant to take a lead and build it to six.
Cleveland didn’t just go away in the final quarter that has haunted the Suns so many nights this year, taking the game back at 7:50 and keeping it close the rest of the way.
Suns center Jusuf Nurkic was pulled with 6:43 remaining in the 29th minute and did not return to the game despite the close play. He remained on the bench, a sign that it was not an injury problem. Nurkic observes Ramadan, which could have been a factor. Head coach Frank Vogel after the game, however, indicated that Nurkic was fine and that Phoenix preferred the mobility support provided by Drew Eubanks in coverages on Garland. Eubanks has been a roller coaster all season and didn’t have a particularly good outing on Monday. The fan base continues to clamor for these minutes for Thaddeus Young’s redemption.
With 117 points, the Suns had 23 assists and 14 turnovers.
This was one of those results like the win against Toronto where the Suns showed progression while winning is imperative, but for now, they will take the wins to try to escape the play-in mix. They are tied with the Sacramento Kings in the loss column (27) on the play-in line. The Dallas Mavericks won on Monday to remain only eighth.
