As part of a stacked Martin Luther King Jr. Day NBA slate, the Phoenix Suns were dominated by the NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers in a 118-92 loss as Phoenix’s road trip nears it’s end.

Durant and Allen faced off 24 times in the regular season (12-12 record) and the former averaged 26.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game in those outings.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) grabs a rebound next to Phoenix Suns forward Ryan Dunn (0) in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) (Sue Ogrocki | AP)

Cleveland and Oklahoma City have followed similar paths to success in the years since the departure of their franchise icons.

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Phoenix is back to a .500 record after a devastating loss to Cleveland at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The Phoenix Suns (21-20) play their fourth of a five-game road trip at the Cleveland Cavaliers (35-6) on Monday.

In this episode of the Wine and Gold Talk podcast, hosts Ethan Sands and Chris Fedor dive into the Cavs’ championship expectations and aspirations. Takeaways: Darius Garland missed five crucial free throws,

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 54 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 123-114 home win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. Neither team led by double digits until the Thunder pulled away in the last three minutes.

Fred VanVleet scored 20 points, and Jalen Green scored 19 points. Amen Thompson, who missed the game at Portland on Saturday with left calf soreness, added 17 points for Houston, which shot 39% and struggled from 3, connecting on 11 of 39.

The Grizzlies had three players (Jaren Jackson, Desmond Bane, and Luke Kennard) go for over 20 points and Kennard hit seven three-pointers. Ja Morant played the role of facilitator with 16 points (5-9 FG) and 13 assists to fall one dime shy of a season high. He was also active on the defensive end of the floor.