The Cleveland Cavaliers' season-best five-game winning streak came to an end on Friday night as they fell 126-113 to the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center.
Cavaliers head coach Atkinson's technical fouls bookended a night of frustration. His first T came late in the first quarter after disputing calls with referees Mitchell Ervin, Nate Green, and Michael Smith. The second occurred at 10:59 of the fourth quarter, when Atkinson stormed onto the court after a no-call against Sam Merrill driving on Collin Gillespie, briefly bumping an official before being escorted off. His anger had built over the first three quarters, during which Cleveland managed only a single free throw against a Phoenix team ranked 26th in fouls.
“We had one free throw after three quarters against a team that [is 26th in fouls],” Atkinson said after the loss. “And the second free throw we got was after a flop. I'm not pleased. I thought the game got out of hand, quite honestly. Parts of the game seemed circus-like, quite honestly. I don't know if that's what we want as a league.
“Certain characters in this league take liberties, and we don’t stand up to them, and the game turns into reviews, challenges, go to the monitor for 20 minutes when we're just trying to play basketball. I don’t think it's good for the league, and I know it wasn't good for us tonight. Thought they let the game get out of hand.”
Cleveland had the ball slipping through their fingers from the get-go. They committed eight miscues in the first quarter and added another eight in the second, finishing with 22 turnovers for the night, the most in any game this season. The Suns knew how to profit from the Cavaliers' errors, scoring 36 off turnovers.
“Some of it was a lack of focus. Some of it was their pressure and some of it was their fouling,” said Atkinson. “It was a mix of everything.”
Cleveland's offensive problems went well beyond turning the ball over. The team shot 15 of 48 (31.3%) from three-point range, allowing Phoenix to outscore them by 24 points off threes. In comparison, the Suns connected on 23 of 48 from deep (47.9%) and pulled ahead with a strong third quarter, 45-32, to turn a close first-half game into a comfortable lead. At halftime, Phoenix led just 52-47, but the Cavaliers could not sustain that performance.
Cleveland players Donovan Mitchell and De'Andre Hunter each received technicals as well, bringing the Cavaliers' total to four for the game.
On the stat sheet, Hunter led Cleveland with 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting. Mitchell added 16 points with six assists but gave the ball away eight times. Jaylon Tyso also scored 16, Nae'Qwan Tomlin had 14, Jarrett Allen had 12, and Sam Merrill finished with 10. For the Suns, Dillon Brooks led with 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 7-of-8 free throws. Jordan Goodwin contributed 17 points, Collin Gillespie 16, and Jalen Green returned from injury to score 11 in limited minutes.
The Cavaliers fell to 29-21, while Phoenix improved to 30-19, sweeping a back-to-back without scoring leader Devin Booker, who missed the game with a sprained ankle. Cleveland will now turn its attention to Sunday night's matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers, hoping to rebound on the second leg of their five-game Western Conference road trip.
