Cleveland Cavaliers vs Phoenix Suns player stats and box score for Mar. 21, 2025

The Phoenix Suns leaned on Kevin Durant, who had 29 second-half points, to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 123-112. Phoenix led 98-79 entering the fourth quarter before holding on for their third straight win. The former MVP finished the game with 42 points, eight assists, six rebounds and one block.

The Cavaliers did not go down easily despite trailing big with a quarter remaining. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland engineered a mini-run that cut the Suns' lead to 113-106 with two minutes to go. Devin Booker responded with a jump shot before Durant drained a 26-footer to extend the lead to 118-106.

Mitchell had his worst game of the season, finishing with seven points on 2-for-18 shooting. Garland tallied 18 points, six assists and five rebounds. The loss dropped the Cavaliers' record to 56-14, second behind Oklahoma (58-12) in the race for the No. 1 seed in the entire playoffs.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Phoenix Suns player stats and box score

Cleveland Cavaliers player stats and box score

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG	3-PT FG	FT	+/-
Evan Mobley	16	12	5	1	2	2	7-14	2-4	0-2	-9
Jarrett Allen	6	6	1	0	2	1	3-4	0-0	0-0	-9
Darius Garland	18	5	6	0	0	5	8-16	2-5	0-0	-4
Donovan Mitchell	7	4	3	2	0	0	2-18	0-8	3-4	-9
Max Strus	9	4	1	1	0	1	3-5	3-4	0-0	-9
Dean Wade	6	0	0	0	0	0	2-3	2-3	0-0	-14
De'Andre Hunter	17	1	1	0	0	0	6-8	3-5	2-2	+3
Isaac Okoro	10	1	1	0	0	0	3-6	2-5	2-2	+5
Ty Jerome	16	1	5	2	1	2	5-8	2-5	4-4	-9
Sam Merrill	4	7	0	4	0	1	2-7	0-4	0-0	+2
Javonte Green	3	3	1	1	0	0	1-5	1-2	0-0	-2
Tristan Thompson	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Craig Porter Jr.	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Phoenix Suns player stats and box score

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG	3-PT FG	FT	+/-
Kevin Durant	42	6	8	0	1	3	17-29	4-9	4-4	+7
Ryan Dunn	10	9	1	1	1	0	4-9	2-5	0-0	+7
Oso Ighodaro	6	13	4	0	0	3	3-7	0-0	0-0	+15
Devin Booker	17	2	10	0	0	1	7-17	1-4	2-2	+13
Collin Gillespie	13	2	4	1	0	1	5-6	3-3	0-0	+11
Royce O'Neale	15	5	2	0	0	3	5-8	5-8	0-0	-1
Cody Martin	4	6	1	2	1	2	1-5	0-4	2-2	-1
Tyus Jones	16	4	3	2	0	0	6-11	4-9	0-0	+4
Bol Bol	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Monte Morris	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Damion Lee	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Phoenix Suns Game Summary

The Cleveland Cavaliers squared off against the Phoenix Suns on Friday in a highly anticipated matchup. Cleveland, which won 118-92 in mid-January, looked to sweep the season series with another win. A victory by the Cavs (56-13) would also keep them in step with Oklahoma (58-12) for the No. 1 seed in the entire playoffs.

Cleveland started hot from behind the arc, making 6 of 9 shots, but the Suns kept up by attacking the paint. Phoenix had a five-point lead halfway through the first quarter before taking a 35-34 advantage after 12 minutes.

The Suns' much-maligned defense showed up in the second quarter to slow down the NBA's best offense. Phoenix won the period 27-17 to lead 62-51 at halftime. Kevin Durant and Co. went 5-for-10 from behind the arc to flip the script against the Cavaliers. Royce O'Neal and Tyus Jones combined for 25 first-half points off the bench to give the home team a lift.

Kevin Durant lit up the Cavaliers for 19 third-quarter points to give the Suns a stranglehold on the game. Phoenix outscored Cleveland 36-28 to extend its lead to 98-79 with a quarter left to play.

The Cavaliers played their best stretch in the fourth quarter, winning the period 33-25. They could not overcome the lead as the Suns hit timely shots and made key defensive stops for a 123-112 win.