Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Phoenix Suns: Postgame Grades and Analysis
The Cleveland Cavaliers got LeBron James back in the lineup when they visited the Phoenix Suns Tuesday, but it didn't cure what ails them as the Suns prevailed 107-100. James led the Cavs with 33, but not even he could match Markieff Morris' career-high 35 points.
The Cavs have now lost six in a row. James hadn't played since Dec. 28 due to back and knee ailments, an eight-game absence that saw his team lose seven of eight.
The Suns led by 16 points with a minute left in the third quarter, but the Cavs closed with a blistering 10-0 run to set up a manageable fourth-quarter deficit. That set the stage for a see-saw battle over the final 12 minutes, but the Suns gritted out the victory on their home court.
Here are game grades for all the key players from the clash in the desert.
| Kyrie Irving | D |
| J.R. Smith | A- |
| LeBron James | A- |
| Kevin Love | C- |
| Timofey Mozgov | D |
| Rest of Team | C+ |
| Eric Bledsoe | B- |
| Goran Dragic | B- |
| P.J. Tucker | B- |
| Markieff Morris | A |
| Alex Len | B |
| Rest of Team | C+ |
Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron James, Small Forward
In case there was any question about LeBron's leaping ability and range of motion as he returns from injuries to his back and knee, he blew by Alex Len on the baseline and threw down an athletic reverse jam early in the game.
James also felt contentious, jawing at a referee during the second quarter and forcibly pushing head coach David Blatt away from the conversation—possibly because James didn't want his coach to get a technical foul, and possibly because LeBron calls the shots in Cleveland.
James took numerous hard spills to the court, but he didn't seem any worse for wear from any of them, not even when he clattered into the basket stanchion or literally got hit in the mouth.
LeBron looked like LeBron, as if he hadn't missed the longest stretch of his career, scoring 33 points on 11-of-18 shooting, along with seven boards and five assists. He did commit five turnovers, but such a hiccup was foreseeable after being away from the court for a spell.
Grade: A-
Kyrie Irving, Point Guard
Kyrie Irving was definitely on the court Tuesday, but at times, it was hard to notice him. He showed virtually no aggression, did not shoot the ball efficiently and turned it over as well. By game's end, all he had to show for his 44 minutes was nine points on 4-of-14 shooting and six assists. He also fumbled away eight turnovers.
Irving had a particularly poor possession with just over one minute remaining in the game. Finally showing some aggression, he dribbled across the foul line and pulled up for a mid-range jumper, which he air-balled. Tristan Thompson grabbed the errant shot and fed it to a driving Irving, who got swallowed up by Markieff Morris' defense and committed a turnover on a desperation pass.
Grade: D
Kevin Love, Power Forward
Love struggled from the field early, but he still had nearly a double-double by the half with nine points and eight boards. Amazingly, Love did not get that double-double, as he recorded zero points and just one rebound in the second half.
To his credit, six of those boards were of the offensive variety, but Love's poor shooting night (3-of-11 from the field) dovetailed with an off night for Kyrie to doom the Cavs.
Grade: C-
J.R. Smith, Shooting Guard
J.R. Smith scored 14 first-half points, connecting on three of his seven shots from three-point range. He applied the "when in doubt, shoot" mentality, and fortunately for the Cavs, his shot was falling.
Then Smith came out in the third quarter and made five three-pointers in that quarter alone, and he capped a 10-0 Cleveland run with a steal on an inbounds pass and his final trey of the quarter on a contested shot before the horn.
Smith did not score in the fourth quarter and finished with 29 points, helped by eight three-pointers from 14 attempts, not to mention four steals. However, he did foul out in the final minute of the fourth quarter.
Smith had put down 27 points in Friday's loss to the Golden State Warriors, and this represented a bounce-back performance after a forgettable showing (2-of-10 shooting) in Sunday's loss to the Sacramento Kings.
Grade: A-
Timofey Mozgov, Center
Timofey Mozgov was part of the Cavs' turnover problem. He lost the ball four times in just 16 minutes and missed all three of his shots. His takeaway this evening was two points and six rebounds as Tristan Thompson undeniably outplayed the starter.
Grade: D
Rest of Team
Shawn Marion had a homecoming Tuesday. He was drafted by the Suns and spent nine seasons there. It's impressive that the 36-year-old is still in the league, but he's honed himself into a savvy veteran who can still make a contribution in a number of statistical categories, as shown by his six points, 11 rebounds and two assists off the bench tonight.
Tristan Thompson played 32 minutes in reserve duty, making all five of his shots to give him 10 points and six rebounds.
James Jones scored two points from three shots, and no other bench player saw more than eight minutes.
Grade: C+
Phoenix Suns
Goran Dragic, Shooting Guard
Dragic had 15 by the half. He scored only three more points in the game, but he also added four dimes and two steals. If it weren't for Morris' hot shooting, the Suns would have been in trouble, likely unable to hold off the late Cavs run.
Grade: B-
Eric Bledsoe, Point Guard
Eric Bledsoe showed good chemistry with center Alex Len, and they hooked up numerous times and executed a couple of slick pick-and-rolls.
He didn't make a significant impact in terms of scoring, but he compiled another all-around effort with 12 points, seven rebounds, six assists, a steal and a block.
Grade: B-
Markieff Morris, Power Forward
By halftime, Markieff Morris was tied with LeBron for the game high in scoring at 16 points, hitting seven of his 10 shots, including two triples. That was merely a sneak peek of the best game that Morris has ever played in the NBA.
From the 11:46 mark of the fourth quarter, Morris scored the next nine points for the Suns, which ran all the way to the 3:31 mark. He was so proficient on offense, LeBron switched on defense to guard the rangy forward. Were it not for his prowess over those eight minutes, the Suns would not have been able to hold onto the W.
Morris totaled his 35 points on an extremely efficient 15-of-21 shooting. He even snagged seven boards.
Grade: A
Alex Len, Center
Len has enjoyed the slight increase in minutes that comes with being in the starting lineup, having taken over for Miles Plumlee (who played just three minutes against Cleveland). He notched a double-double Tuesday, and his 10th rebound came on a crucial putback that put Phoenix up by four with under two minutes remaining.
He served up a baker's dozen of points and even added a block and a steal for good measure. His overall play has been promising, stoking hopes that he could possibly live up to the expectations of a fifth overall pick from the 2013 draft.
Grade: B
P.J. Tucker, Small Forward
P.J. Tucker elbowed LeBron in the head as he tried to get free in the post during the second quarter. LeBron seemed to think he had been struck by a muay thai fighter, and he crumpled to the court writhing in pain. He seemed fine after the commercial break.
Tucker's play of the game came on the offensive board he grabbed with the Suns up by three and 26 seconds left in the game. He got whacked by J.R. Smith on the play, but he shook it off with the sweet taste of victory so close.
It was a strong overall effort from Tucker, getting 10 points, four boards, three assists and two steals.
Grade: B-
Rest of Team
Isaiah Thomas dished four dimes off the bench, but the electric sixth man couldn't find his shot, missing four of his five attempts and ending with five points.
Marcus Morris had a solid effort off the bench with nine points, but why can't he be more like his brother? The twin sibling rivalry continues.
Brandan Wright played 13 minutes, and while he's pretty new to the team following a trade from the Boston Celtics, he found the soft spot in the defense for a couple of easy dunks.
Grade: C+
Coming Up Next
The Cavaliers wrap their five-game road trip with back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday and Friday.
The Suns stay in Phoenix for a Friday meeting with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the second date on their current eight-game homestand. The defense will have to keep an eye on Mo Williams, because he just scored a franchise-record 52 points in Minnesota's 110-101 victory over the Indiana Pacers Tuesday.
