The Cleveland Cavaliers took care of business vs. the Phoenix Suns.
Even though they didn’t have Caris LeVert (wrist), Isaac Okoro (shoulder), and Evan Mobley (calf), they still managed to win.
The Cavaliers won 118-92 in a well-balanced effort.
When asked about that, coach Kenny Atkinson couldn’t be happier (via Daryl Ruiter).
Down 3 rotation players and still blow out the #Suns. No surprise #Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson likes where his team is at pic.twitter.com/Mntzw9QVFf
— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) January 21, 2025
He raved about the fact that the team was deep enough to get by in tough situations like this, and being in a position to beat good teams despite being undermanned speaks volumes about the kind of team they are.
The Suns have fluctuated all season, so perhaps they are not a good barometer for determining another team’s level of being a contender.
Nevertheless, as coach Atkinson also said, the Cavs’ record speaks for itself.
The team has won 36 of its first 42 games, not out of sheer luck or coincidence.
Most of those games haven’t even been close, as the Cavaliers are beating the team by roughly nine points on average.
They’ve only lost one game to Western Conference teams all season long, and that’s obviously quite encouraging when you think about a potential matchup in the NBA Finals.
Donovan Mitchell closed out the game with 33 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Darius Garland added 16 points, and Jarrett Allen had 12 points and 11 boards.
More surprisingly, even Tristan Thompson logged ten rebounds off the bench, turning back the clock and giving the team another resource in a game that could’ve been close.
NEXT: Donovan Mitchell Reacts to Cavs' Win Over Suns
