Dudley and Nash lead Suns past Cavaliers 108-100
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jared Dudley came off the bench to score 21 points, Steve Nash had 20 points and 15 assists, and the Phoenix Suns handed the undermanned Cleveland Cavaliers their 10th consecutive loss, 108-100 Sunday night.
The victory ended the Suns' three-game losing streak and marked the first time in five games the usually high-scoring Suns had reached 100 points.
The loss was the 20th in 21 games and the 16th in a row on the road for the Cavaliers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Suns trailed throughout the first half but finally took the lead for good 93-90 on a 3-pointer by Nash with 6:41 remaining.
Vince Carter added 19 points for Phoenix, Channing Frye had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Robin Lopez scored 15 points.
Rookie Manny Harris scored a season-high 27 points for Cleveland. J.J. Hickson had 23 points and a season-high 17 rebounds and Antawn Jamison also scored 23.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Harris, an unheralded rookie from Michigan playing in only his 15th game, nearly matched his season high of 16 points with 15 in the first half as the Cavaliers led at intermission 52-51.
Cleveland, beating the Suns at their own game, outscored Phoenix 18-3 on fast-break points during the first two periods. They also led the Suns 38-24 in points in the paint, after grabbing 10 offensive rebounds.
Harris and Hickson were the Cavs' dominant players during that stretch when Cleveland never trailed. Harris also had six rebounds and Hickson, replacing injured Anderson Varejao, had 13 points and seven rebounds.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Phoenix's two big men, Frye and Lopez, combined to keep the Suns close. Frye had 13 points and 10 rebounds in the first half and Lopez contributed 12 points.
Nash did his usual job of distributing the ball, handing out 11 assists in the first half, but made only two of seven shots.
The Suns finally took the lead in the third quarter, building an eight-point advantage, 79-71, after eight consecutive points by Dudley. But they failed to hit a field goal in the final 2:40 and Cleveland rallied to tie it at 81 at the end of the period. The Suns' 30-point quarter was the first time they had reached that total in 21 periods.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The injury-riddled Cavaliers learned Sunday that Varejao, their starting center, could be lost for the season with a complete tear of his right ankle, an injury sustained during a routine conditioning drill. Besides Varejao, the Cavs were missing Joey Graham (right quad strain), Daniel Gibson (left ankle sprain), Leon Powe (right torn meniscus) and Anthony Parker (lower back strain).
The Suns also lost a key player when Grant Hill sustained a right knee sprain early in the first quarter when he collided with Harris under the Phoenix basket.
NOTES: When the Cavs had LeBron James, they swept the Suns in each of the past two seasons. ... Cleveland's last victory was Dec. 18 against New York, 109-102 in overtime. Their last win in regulation was Nov. 27 against Memphis, 92-86. ... Cleveland's last road victory was Nov. 9 at New Jersey, 93-91. ... Hill is averaging more than 14 points per game, his highest scoring average since joining the Suns four years ago.