CLEVELAND Cavaliers leaned on a massive second quarter breakaway to defeat Phoenix Suns, 118-92, in the 2024-25 NBA Season on Monday night (Tuesday in the Philippines) at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio.
Donovan Mitchell spearheaded the offense with 33 points, including four three-point conversions, to go with five rebounds, five assists, and one steal as the Cavaliers improved to a 36-6 record.
Darius Garland added 16 markers, Jarrett Allen posted a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Sam Merrill and Jaylon Tyson ended with 10 apiece for Cleveland, which played without starting center Evan Mobley.
From a 27-all score after the opening quarter, the Cavaliers broke the game wide open in the second period behind conversions from Mitchell and Merrill for a 59-46 lead at the half.
The Cavaliers continued their rampage in the second half as baskets from Mitchell, Garland, and Allen allowed them to stretch the lead to as high as 30 points in the fourth quarter.
Kevin Durant led the Suns with 23 points, Devin Booker added 15 markers, while Tyus Jones and Grayson Allen contributed 13 and 10 points, respectively, as they fell to a 21-21 record.
Meanwhile, Charlotte Hornets (11-28) relied on a huge endgame rampage to upset Dallas Mavericks (23-20), 110-105, at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Down 98-102 with over five minutes left, the Hornets went on a 7-0 scoring run behind conversions from Mark Williams, Miles Bridges, and Nick Smith Jr. to establish a 105-102 lead.
The Mavericks still tried to keep the match close at 105-107 on a basket by Daniel Gafford but the Hornets secured the victory with free throws from LaMelo Ball and Josh Green.
Bridges and Ball finished with 23 points apiece to lead the Hornets, Smith added 19 markers, while Williams had a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds./PN
BOX SCORE:
CLEVELAND 118 — Mitchell 33, Garland 16, Allen 12, Merrill 10, Tyson 10, Strus 9, Wade 8, Niang 8, Jerome 8, Porter 3, Thompson 1, Thor 0, Bates 0.
PHOENIX 92 — Durant 23, Booker 15, Jones 13, Allen 10, Lee 9, Beal 5, Richards 4, Dunn 4, Morris 4, Bol 3, Plumlee 2, O’Neale 0, Ighodaro 0.
Quarterscores: 27-27, 59-46, 93-70, 118-92.
