NBA: Big 3 helps Suns overtake short-handed Cavaliers

The Phoenix big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal combined to score 88 points, led by Durant’s 37, and the visiting Suns beat the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers 117-111 on Monday.

Phoenix, opening a four-game road trip, overcame a sluggish start in which it fell behind by as many as 19 points in the second quarter.

Beal scored 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the floor, part of Phoenix’s 54.8 percent overall performance. In his return from a four-game absence caused by a right ankle sprain, Booker scored 27 points.

Booker did much of his work from inside the 3-point arc. On a night when he shot just 1-for-7 from long range, Booker went 10-for-15 on 2-point field-goal attempts.

Behind Durant, who grabbed eight rebounds and dished six assists to go with his game-high scoring total, the Suns chipped away at the deficit before taking a lead they never relinquished midway through the third quarter.

The Phoenix advantage never grew to more than nine points, however, as Darius Garland and Caris LeVert each contributed to keep Cleveland within striking distance. Garland scored 30 points and accounted for almost half of the Cavaliers’ 15 made 3-pointers, going 7-for-10 from deep.

LeVert recorded 17 points and 11 assists while starting in place of Donovan Mitchell, who missed his seventh consecutive game due to a knee injury.

Cleveland was also without Evan Mobley. Jarrett Allen manned the bulk of interior responsibility with Mobley out due to an ankle sprain, scoring 15 points and grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds.

The Cavaliers also got 13 points apiece from Craig Porter Jr. and Isaac Okoro. Porter put down a driving baseline dunk that pulled Cleveland to within three points with 4:04 to play in the fourth quarter.

Porter also made a pair of free throws at 1:30 remaining to get the Cavaliers within 113-111. Allen got the ball inside with a chance to tie after a Durant miss, but he lost control of the ball. Phoenix’s Grayson Allen and Booker each made two free throws in the final seconds to seal the win.

Phoenix improved to 3-1 in its past four games, while Cleveland fell to 1-3 in its past four, taking its second loss in as many nights.

—Field Level Media/Reuters