One stud and one dud from Cavs’ loss to Suns on Wednesday

On Thanksgiving eve, the Cleveland Cavaliers entertained the red-hot Phoenix Suns and went toe-to-toe with the defending Western Conference champions. While the Wine and Gold put up quite an effort, they would falter down the stretch and fell by five points.

While the Cavaliers have dropped their last five games, it has been an encouraging sign to see them stay competitive in most games despite being hindered by a plethora of injuries.

While times like these are tough, Cleveland is getting an extended look at a few players who may not see many meaningful minutes if the squad was 100 percent healthy. Or other players may have to play an expanded role they are not used to, which can have positive and negative consequences.

The first half was a promising one from the Cavaliers, as they took a five-point lead into halftime led by Jarrett Allen. While the Suns shot better from the floor, Cleveland did force 10 turnovers while they only committed four turnovers themselves.

Cleveland hung with Phoenix throughout the second half, thanks largely to Cedi Osman stepping up with 15 huge points in the final 24 minutes. While the Cavs had their chances down the stretch to tie the game, they just couldn’t get a timely shot to fall, and the Suns handled their free throws that would eventually ice the game.

As mentioned above, while disappointing, these type of games are hopefully going to be valuable learning lessons for this young Cavaliers squad. While a few players for Cleveland stood out tonight, there was one that ultimately did enough to stand out above the rest and be named tonight’s star.