Kenny Atkinson blasts the refs after the loss to the Suns

The Cleveland Cavaliers‘ season-best five-game winning streak was snapped on Friday night as they fell 126-113 to the Phoenix Suns at the Mortgage Matchup Center.

Cavaliers head coach Atkinson’s technical fouls capped a night of frustration. His first T came late in the first quarter after challenging calls with referees Mitchell Ervin, Nate Green and Michael Smith. The second came at 10:59 of the fourth quarter, when Atkinson ran onto the field after Sam Merrill drove Colin Gillespie without a call, briefly hitting the official before being sent off. His anger grew during the first three quarters, during which Cleveland managed just one free throw against a Phoenix team that ranked 26th in fouls.

“We had one free throw after three quarters against a team that is (26th in fouls),” Atkinson he said after the loss. “And the second free throw we got was after the flop. I’m not happy. I thought the game got out of hand, quite frankly. Parts of the game felt like a circus, quite frankly. I don’t know if that’s what we want as a league.

“Certain characters in this league take liberties and we don’t stand up to them and the game turns into reviews, challenges, we go to the monitor for 20 minutes when we’re just trying to play basketball. I don’t think that’s good for the league, and I know it wasn’t good for us tonight. They thought they let the game get out of hand.”

From the very start, the ball slipped through Cleveland’s fingers. They committed eight turnovers in the first quarter and added eight more in the second, finishing with 22 turnovers on the night, the most of any game this season. The Suns knew how to capitalize on the Cavaliers’ mistakes, committing 36 turnovers.

“Some of it was a lack of focus. Some of it was their pressure and some of it was their fouling,” Atkinson said. “It was a mixture of everything.”

Cleveland’s offensive problems went far beyond turning the ball over. The team shot 15-of-48 (31.3%) from three-point range, allowing Phoenix to outscore them by 24 fewer three-pointers. By comparison, the Suns connected on 23-of-48 from deep (47.9%) and took a strong third quarter lead, 45-32, to turn a tight first-half game into a comfortable lead. At halftime, Phoenix only led 52-47, but the Cavaliers couldn’t sustain that performance.

Cleveland players Donovan Mitchell and De’Andre Hunter also received technicals, bringing the Cavaliers’ total to four for the game.

On the scoreboard, Hunter led Cleveland with 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting. Mitchell added 16 points with six assists, but had eight turnovers. Jaylon Tyso also scored 16, Nae’Quan Tomlin 14, Jarrett Allen 12 and Sam Merrill finished with 10. For the Suns, Dillon Brooks led the way with 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 7-of-8 free throws. Jordan Goodwin had 17 points, Colin Gillespie had 16, and Jaylen Green returned from injury to score 11 in limited minutes.

The Cavaliers fell to 29-21, while Phoenix improved to 30-19, snapping a streak without leader Devin Booker, who missed the game with a sprained ankle. Cleveland will now turn their attention to Sunday night’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers, hoping to bounce back in the second leg of their five-game Western Conference road trip.