Recap: Cavs 118, Suns 103 (or, There’s Nothing Like Some Home Cooking)

Coming off a six-game road trip, the Cleveland Cavaliers were home for the first time in two weeks, and looking to work their way back to form against the Phoenix Suns. While Kevin Love missed the game with back spasms, the Cavaliers still had the talent advantage at most positions as the Suns are one of the worst teams in the NBA. This game was a chance to refocus on both ends and continue to incorporate Kyle Korver into the rotation with a contest against the San Antonio Spurs on the horizon.

First Quarter

James Jones started for Love alongside Kyrie Irving, Iman Shumpert, LeBron James, and Tristan Thompson. The game got off to a good start for the Cavaliers as the Suns turned it over on the first possession, and LeBron James finished with a layup at the rim while drawing a shooting foul. James failed to convert, and Irving and Jones badly missed on a pair of threes while the Suns took an early lead. There was little defense for either side early on, and most stops were actually sloppy turnovers by each team. The Cavaliers did a nice job moving the ball, and back-to-back threes by James Jones gave the Cavaliers a 15-10 lead five minutes into the game.

The Cavaliers continued their success out of time outs with a layup by Irving. Eric Bledsoe countered with a three as the shot clock expired, but LeBron James earned another and-one at the rim, this time converting the free throw. The pace began to pick up, particularly on the Suns’ end, before LeBron slowed things down to regain control, and found Iman Shumpert for his second three of the game. The Cavaliers also begin to show more focus on the defensive end, punctuated by a shot clock violation by the Suns.

Kyle Korver checked in for Shumpert with three minutes left in the first quarter to a nice ovation from the fans. Irving was able to get to the line for a pair of freebies and then finished a layup in transition to push the Cavaliers’ lead to double digits for the first time. The Suns began to go to Alex Len, who used his size advantage to bully his way to the rim for a pair of baskets before P.J. Tucker hit a jumper to cut the Cavs’ lead back to six. DeAndre Liggins entered for Irving, and the Cavaliers finished the quarter with a lineup of Liggins, Korver, Jefferson, Jones, and Frye. This lineup struggled to score, but played some very solid defense as the Cavaliers led 29-21 after one quarter.

Second Quarter

The Cavaliers started the second quarter with a lineup of Liggins, Korver, James, Jefferson, and Frye. This group moved the ball well, frustrating the Suns’ defense. A three by Channing Frye started the scoring for the quarter before Brandon Knight responded with a three of his own. The Cavs continued to move the ball well, and Korver his a deep three from beyond the arc after missing his first two attempts. Another wide open three by Frye pushed the Cavaliers’ lead to 14 and forced Suns coach Earl Watson to call a time out just 2:19 into the quarter.

https://twitter.com/joevardon/status/822242823483301890

The Cavaliers quickly found themselves in the bonus courtesy of a Suns team that leads the league in fouls per game, but were unable to score in the first minute-plus after the time out. Meanwhile the Suns went on a 5-0 run before the Cavs countered with a layup by James and a pair of free throws by Frye. James then got a hold of a loose ball for a vintage LBJ transition dunk. Korver followed that up with another three, and the Cavaliers’ lead ballooned to 18.

Flight 23. #DefendTheLand pic.twitter.com/Nfz6ETV76G

— NBA (@NBA) January 20, 2017

Coming out of the timeout, the Cavaliers continued their improved defensive effort, forcing the Suns into their second shot clock violation of the game. With the Cavaliers leading by 19, it looked like James would be able to get some extra rest, as the Cavs went with a lineup of Irving, Korver, Shumpert, Jefferson, and Thompson. This lineup did a nice job of keeping the lead, but wasn’t together long. Frye returned after Thompson hurt his left hand, and James returned for Korver as both teams went cold from the field. The game continued, but most were focused on Thompson, who had run back to the locker room holding his hand. While he did suffer a dislocated finger, the Cavs’ iron man was okay, and the Cavs went into the half with a 59-41 lead, while holding the Suns to 42% shooting with 13 turnovers.

Third Quarter

Thompson—finger wrapped—returned with the rest of the starting lineup to begin the second half. James Jones continued to do an admirable job filling in for Love as he connected with his third three of the game. Shumpert added a three of his own as the Suns continued to leave shooters wide open, forcing Watson to call time just 89 seconds into the second half. Eric Bledsoe then went into attack mode for Phoenix, hitting a three and attacking the rim. The Cavaliers also got a bit sloppy with the ball as the Suns cut the lead to 13. A dunk by Tyson Chandler cut the lead to 11 before a three by Shumpert. The Shumpert Show continued as he responded to a bucket by T.J. Warren with his fifth three of the night. The Cavaliers’ defense began to slip as the Suns got to the basket and the line at wll, keeping the Cavs from pulling away despite hot shooting from deep. Thompson also had trouble finishing around the rim, likely due to his newly dislocated finger. Luckily Jones and Shumpert were there to pick him up with a three by Champ and a nifty layup by Shump. Korver entered for James and continued the three party with one of his own, but the Suns were able to score fairly easily against the Cavaliers’ defense, and kept within striking distance as the Cavaliers led 89-76 heading into the final frame

Fourth Quarter

James, Korver, Jefferson, Frye, and Liggins started the fourth quarter, and James seemed to want to put the game out of reach immediately. After going scoreless in the third quarter, James quickly scored the first four points of the quarter to push the Cavaliers’ lead to 17. To their credit, the Suns were able to respond, but the King continued to attack early and often, getting to the basket at will. He also set his teammates up for terrific shots, including a reverse jam by Jefferson, and a corner three by Liggins that let him get in on the three party. Still, the Suns kept fighting. Booker and Bledsoe also did a nice job of mixing their own scoring with setting up Chandler, and they cut the deficit to just 12 with five minutes remaining. Unfortunately for Phoenix, the Cavaliers calmly continued to move the ball and went on a 9-2 run behind a three by Frye and a pair of buckets by Irving and James to extend their lead to 19. The Cavs sent in Kay Felder and Jordan McRae for the final two minutes as James ended the night one rebound short of a triple double with 21 points, nine rebounds, and 15 assists as the Cavs were victorious by a final score of 118-103. In addition to a spectacular night by James, Irving finished with 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting, and Shumpert, Jones, and Frye combined for 49 points and while making 17-of-27 from three.

Things I Noticed

LeBron James played 40 minutes in a game that the Cavaliers never seemed in danger of losing. Some of this may have been due to him gunning for a triple-double, but Tyronn Lue must find a way to get his minutes under control.

Kyle Korver hasn’t quite found his stride, which is to be expected considering the differences between the Cavaliers’ and Hawks’ offenses, but you can see that it will come. His teammates are looking for him more than they ever did Mike Dunleavy, and he is already the fourth option for this team. Once he finds his comfort level, watch out.

James Jones is occasionally targeted by fans as a waste of a roster spot, but nothing could be further from the truth. Besides being arguably the most respected player in the locker room, he’s always ready to play, and is still an elite shooter. You couldn’t possibly ask for more from a bench player who receives inconsistent minutes.

Richard Jefferson is in one of the worst shooting slumps from deep I’ve ever seen. He’s been hovering around 30% for most of the season, after shooting 38% last year and just under that for his career. While some may wonder if Jefferson has simply lost it after 16 seasons in the league, he hasn’t seemed to drop off in any other area of his game. More likely, Jefferson is probably in his own head in regards to his three-point shooting, and simply needs to see a few go through the hoop during a game. Still, it will be interesting to see what happens to the roles of Jefferson and Liggins when J.R. Smith returns and if the Cavaliers acquire a backup point guard.

It’s exciting to see Kyrie and LeBron named All-Star starters, even if many felt Kevin Love should be there too. As the only 20 and 10 man in the Eastern Conference, Love seems like a lock to make the team as a reserve. If anything, it’s a shame to see the wrong Toronto Raptor picked to start for the East, and Russell Westbrook may destroy everything in his path.

Here are the voting results. pic.twitter.com/qK7IgfT10r

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) January 20, 2017

The Suns have several veterans who could really help a contending team, but watching Tyson Chandler being wasted like this is just a tragedy. He’s the kind of big man who can still anchor a defense for a title contender. Chandler has always known who he is as a player, and does a great job of playing to his strengths and avoiding his weaknesses. Jared Dudley and P.J. Tucker could also help a playoff team, and at least this writer wouldn’t mind if the Suns decided to leave Leandro Barbosa here for the Cavs. Unfortunately for the Suns, these veterans aren’t on anywhere near the same timetable with younger players such as Devin Booker, T.J. Warren, Dragen Bender, and even Eric Bledsoe. If the Suns can trade some of these veterans for some real assets, they should do so, even if their locker room loses some leadership along the way.

The Cavs are back in action against the San Antonio Spurs for ABC’s first Saturday night game of the season. Pau Gasol has just been ruled out indefinitely after breaking his hand, and it will be interesting to see how the Spurs adjust. Until then, a good win tonight and GO CAVS!