Kevin Durant erupted for 42 points as the Phoenix Suns secured a 123-112 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.
The win marked Phoenix’s third consecutive triumph, keeping them tied with Dallas at 34-37 for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.
Devin Booker added 17 points, while Tyus Jones contributed 16. Royce O’Neale provided a spark off the bench with 15 points, sinking five three-pointers.
Cleveland, which had won 16 straight games before their recent struggles, suffered its fourth consecutive loss. The Cavaliers, now 56-14, still lead the Eastern Conference but have fallen two games behind Oklahoma City for the league’s best record.
Darius Garland led Cleveland with 18 points, and Evan Mobley recorded a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Ty Jerome matched Mobley’s scoring output, while Donovan Mitchell had a rough night, finishing with just seven points on 2-of-18 shooting.
The Suns controlled the game from the second quarter onward, using a 10-0 run sparked by back-to-back O’Neale three-pointers to take a 47-38 lead. They extended their advantage to 62-51 at halftime and never trailed again.
Phoenix was short-handed, missing Bradley Beal due to a hamstring injury and both of its primary centers, Nick Richards and Mason Plumlee. Third-string big man Oso Ighodaro stepped up, playing 44 minutes and leading the team with 13 rebounds.
Mitchell struggled throughout the game, missing his first seven shots and finishing 0-of-8 from beyond the arc. The Cavaliers continued their struggles on their five-game West Coast road trip, having already lost to the Clippers and Kings.
With only 11 games left in the regular season, Phoenix faces a tough schedule, as all but one of their remaining matchups are against teams currently in playoff position.
