Phoenix Suns Edged by Cleveland Cavaliers Thanks to Sluggish First Half

The Phoenix Suns, thanks to an ugly 13-29 record and back-to-back losses, are now tied with the Lakers for last place in the Western Conference.

The Phoenix Suns were defeated by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, 118-103, courtesy of a slow first half of play.

The Suns went into the half facing an 18-point deficit to the defending champs, only scoring 41 of their own. Although they did pick it up in the second half instead of completing caving in, which has been the story of their season, it was not enough to dethrone the Cavaliers on their home floor.

Earl Watson got a great amount of productivity from his starting unit, but nothing much after that. Devin Booker, Eric Bledsoe, and Tyson Chandler all scored more than 20 points, and TJ Warren had 18 of his own. Of the team’s 103 points scored, 89 of them were by their starters. Their bench was outscored 38-14 but Cleveland’s bench.

More from Heat Waved

• Arizona Coyotes: Slumping Strome Shipped to Chicago
• Arizona Cardinals Paid Sam Bradford $6.75 Million Per TD Pass
• Former Arizona Basketball Star Allonzo Trier Remarkably Efficient Lately
• Arizona Coyotes: How Coach Rick Tocchet Sparked His Offense
• Arizona State Basketball Has Two Transfers Ready to Compete

An illness held Suns center Tyson Chandler out of Monday’s contest with the Utah Jazz, but he bounced back tonight with another brilliant effort for Watson. He recorded his ninth double-double on the season, thanks to his 16 rebounds and a season-high 22 points.

It was total dominance from the Cavaliers against their Western Conference opponents. Phoenix was 4-19 from the three-point line, while Cleveland was 19-43. The Suns shot 43.5% from the field, while their competitors executed 50.6% of their shots.

But what do you expect? They are the defending champions for a reason, I guess.

Thanks to back-to-back losses this week, the Suns are officially at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 13-29 record. It’s hard to overlook how bad they’ve been on paper this year, but the eyeball-test shows how hard this team plays every night, no matter their opponent. They clawed back tonight against Cleveland despite the sluggish start.

Next: Phoenix Suns Having Trouble Finishing, Not Competing

It’s little things like that that gives the fans a glimpse of hope for the future. But until then, we’re stuck with one of the youngest teams in all of basketball and a .310 winning-percentage. Ho-hum.