Donovan Mitchell scores 34 points to propel Cavaliers to 129-113 victory over Suns

CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 34 points, Darius Garland added 19 and the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat the Phoenix Suns 129-113 on Wednesday to snap their four-game winning streak.

It was Mitchell's 18th 30-point game this season, third-most in the league, after he had only 10 points in Monday night's win at San Antonio. The All-Star guard — fourth in the league in scoring at 29.7 points per game — was 10 of 18 from the field, including four 3-pointers, and also had 10 rebounds and seven assists in 30 minutes.

Jaylon Tyson had 18 points and Sam Merrill added 16. Evan Mobley (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Jarrett Allen (16 points, 11 rebounds) both had double-doubles.

Cleveland has won two straight and improved to 19-16 after going 7-7 in December.

Devin Booker led Phoenix with 32 points, including 20 in the third quarter as the Suns rallied from a 67-54 halftime deficit to get within two late in the quarter. Dillon Brooks had 20 points, all in the first half, and Collin Gillespie added 17.

After Phoenix got within 91-89 on a pair of free throws by Jordan Goodwin, the Cavaliers regained control with a 24-5 run as Mitchell scored eight points and Tyson added six. Cleveland was 10 of 13 from the field while Phoenix went 2 of 10.

Cleveland's largest lead was 24 points at 125-101 with less than four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Phoenix had an 8-5 lead before the Cavaliers scored 16 straight points, including four straight 3-pointers.

The Suns go into 2026 with a 19-14 record after going 7-5 in December.

Suns: Host the Sacramento Kings on Friday.

Cavaliers: Host the Denver Nuggets on Friday.

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Phoenix Suns forward Ryan Dunn, center, shoots between Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) and guard Craig Porter Jr. (9) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen, right, shoots as Phoenix Suns center Mark Williams, left, defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Craig Porter Jr. (9) dunks over Phoenix Suns guard Jamaree Bouyea, right, in the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) passes around Phoenix Suns forward Ryan Dunn (0) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) catches a pass next to Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks, center, forward Royce O'Neale (00) and center Mark Williams (15) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA saw its best Christmas Day viewership numbers in 15 years, the league announced Wednesday.

More than 47 million people in the U.S. watched at least some of the five-game slate on ABC and ESPN, which represents a 45% increase over last year. And there was an average of 5.5 million viewers for the games, up 4% from a year ago.

The Cleveland-New York game was the most-watched Christmas game ever that started at noon Eastern, with an average of 6.4 million viewers. The San Antonio-Oklahoma City game was the most-watched in the 2:30 p.m. Christmas timeslot since 2017 and the Dallas-Golden State game was the most-watched in the 5 p.m. timeslot on the holiday since 2019.

Nielsen said it provided the ratings data.

Also Wednesday, the NBA said it was the “most-viewed brand across social media” on Christmas, with its content generating 1.6 billion views, according to Videocites. That's up 23% over Christmas 2024.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

The shoes of Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry before an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

San Antonio Spurs Keldon Johnson (3) celebrates against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Gerald Leong)

A screen displays "Christmas Day Game" before an NBA basketball game between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)