Cavs beat Suns, finding their form

CLEVELAND — For the most part, the Cavaliers feel like they are trending in the right direction. Six-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell turned in a dominating performance on New Year's Eve with 34 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one block in Cleveland's 129-113 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Cleveland (19-16) has won two in a row and four of its last six games. "If you take the Houston game out, we're trending better," Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. "But we're still not there." Atkinson has inserted Dean Wade into the starting lineup, and it's helped Cleveland improve defense and rebounding. The Cavs limited the Suns to .400 shooting from the field and outrebounded Phoenix 54-52. "We're doing a lot of switching, 1 through 4 or 1 through 5," Cleveland point guard Darius Garland said. "It gives us a lot of length." The Cavs also blocked nine shots, five by power forward Evan Mobley, and had seven steals. "Early in the season, we faced adversity and crumbled," Mobley said. "Now, things are starting to change. "We ended the year off on a 'W.' We've won two in a row. Now we want three and to get a streak going. We're having fun out there." Garland added 19 points and six assists, while surging Jaylon Tyson added 18 points. Mobley had 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Jarrett Allen had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Sam Merrill 16 points. Atkinson was particularly impressed with reserve guard Craig Porter Jr., who amassed two points, nine rebounds, three assists and one block. He's taken Lonzo Ball's spot in Atkinson's rotation and doesn't appear to be ready to relinquish it. "He's becoming an elite defender," Atkinson said. "We put him on (Devin) Booker. He has a knack for contesting shots. I love his defense. He keeps rising. He gets us extra possessions (with his rebounding)." Ball isn't injured. He's just been replaced. "I wanted to stick with what worked," Atkinson said. "I just felt it. It's not permanent by any means. We just found a combination that worked." The Cleveland coach said Ball will be ready for the playoffs. From the end of the third quarter, the Cavs embarked on a 24-5 run to blow the game wide open. Mitchell scored eight points in the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter. Booker caught fire in the third quarter with 19 of his team-high 32 points. The Suns (19-14) trimmed a 20-point deficit to just 96-89 heading into the final period. Cleveland maintained a 67-54 lead at halftime. Phoenix forward Jordan Goodwin had a strange line in the box score with four points on 1-of-11 from the field yet grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds. Suns coach Jordan Ott isn't surprised by the Cavs' recent success. "It's health," he said. "They are getting there. As they get healthier, things will looked a lot more familiar." Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.