Dillon Brooks scored 17 of his 27 points in Phoenix’s staggering 45-point third quarter, and Collin Gillespie added 16 points as the host Suns defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 126-113 on Friday.
Jordan Goodwin contributed 17 points, including five 3-pointers, Grayson Allen added 13, and Royce O’Neale chipped in 12 points. The victory marked the Suns’ third straight win and put them 11 games over .500 (30-19) for the first time this season.
The Suns, who led by 33 early in the fourth quarter, set a season-high with 23 3-pointers on 48 attempts. Gillespie and O’Neale made four apiece, while Jalen Green, returning from injury, contributed three.
De’Andre Hunter led the Cavs with 17 points, while Donovan Mitchell and Jaylon Tyson added 16 each. Mitchell, fifth in the league in scoring with a 29.4 average, struggled with eight turnovers.
Green scored 11 points in 15 minutes off the bench in his first game since aggravating a right hamstring injury on Jan. 23 at Atlanta. Green, acquired along with Brooks in a summer trade sending Kevin Durant to Houston, has now played five of the Suns’ 49 games.
Gillespie’s fourth 3-pointer gave the Suns a 112-79 lead two minutes into the fourth quarter—the largest deficit the Cavaliers have faced this season.
The Cavaliers committed a season-high 22 turnovers, which the Suns converted into 36 points. Phoenix also recorded 15 steals, just one shy of their season high. Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson was ejected with 10:59 remaining after receiving his second technical foul.
Earlier, O’Neale hit back-to-back 3-pointers in an 8-0 run during the second quarter to give Phoenix a 49-39 lead at the break. Green’s 3-pointer capped another 8-0 run in the third quarter for a 77-60 lead, shortly after a hard fall during a rebound scramble.
The Cavaliers were also missing guard Darius Garland (toe) and forward Evan Mobley (calf), with Garland sidelined for his eighth straight game and Mobley missing his second consecutive contest.
–Field Level Media