Cavs turn back Suns, trend in right direction

The Cavaliers are starting to look familiar again.

Before Wednesday’s game, Suns coach Jordan Ott, who spent last season on Cleveland’s bench, said the team he was watching on tape looked a lot like the one he remembered.

He wasn’t wrong.

For long stretches, the Cavs looked like last year’s version in a convincing 129-113 win over Phoenix.

Not perfect. Not fully there yet. But close enough to notice.

Cleveland jumped on the Suns early with a couple of quick runs and played the kind of basketball that powered last season’s surge. Defensive stops. Ball movement. Pace. Purpose. All the familiar stuff.

And unlike Monday in San Antonio, Donovan Mitchell was cooking right away. He scored 10 in the first quarter as the Cavs built a 16-point lead and set the tone.

The usual trouble spots still showed up. The bench units wobbled. The second and third quarters were messy. Phoenix won both. There were moments where it felt like Cleveland might lose the thread again.

They didn’t.

The Cavs flipped the switch in the fourth and never looked back. A seven-point lead quickly turned into 20-plus and the game was essentially over midway through the quarter.

Mitchell led the way with 34 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. But this one wasn’t just about him. It was about balance.

Six Cavs scored in double figures. Darius Garland had 19. Jaylon Tyson gave them to 18. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen chipped in 16 apiece. Sam Merrill added 16 of his own. It looked connected. It looked shared.

Phoenix got 32 from Devin Booker, and Jordan Goodwin battled on the glass, but the Suns never fully recovered once Cleveland reasserted control.

Was it flawless? No. Turnovers were still an issue. Offensive rebounds too. But it was another step forward, and that matters right now.

The Cavs are trending the right way. Not declaring anything. Just building something again.