Cleveland Cavaliers head coach JB Bickerstaff said before Monday's game that he had no doubt his team would take the challenge of the star-studded Phoenix Suns coming off a lackluster showing just one night before against the Brooklyn Nets. And Darius Garland and the Cavs did more than challenge, as they gave their very best against the Suns. Unfortunately, it wasn't good enough.

Cleveland got off to a scorching start and never trailed in the first half, leading by as much as 19 at one point. By halftime, the Cavs had racked up 70 points, spearheaded by Garland. In just two quarters, the star guard had 25 points on a hyper-efficient shooting to go with two assists.

However, the game didn't just end at halftime and Cleveland could walk away victorious. But based on how the Cavs came out to start the second half, it felt like any momentum Cleveland built had been all but erased. Phoenix used a 17-6 early sprint in less than five minutes to pull in front for the first time all night and the Suns never trailed after that point.

Darius Garland, Cavs' collapse vs. Suns

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) drives to the basket against Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35)
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The biggest momentum killer for the Cavs was Garland, who was slowed by halftime adjustments made by Suns head coach Frank Vogel. After the highest-scoring quarter of his young NBA career, Garland was limited to just nine points the rest of the way, as the Suns sent multiple defenders at him and forced the All-Star scorer to play in a crowd. The move by Vogel was just the right adjustment for Phoenix to kill Cleveland's offensive flow and any rhythm Garland had built in the first half.

Unlike the Suns defending Garland, the Cavs allowed Phoenix to find their groove in the third quarter and deliver a harsh reminder of the existing talent gap. Kevin Durant, who had 19 points in that period, finished with a game-high 37. All-Star teammates Devin Booker chipped in with 27 and Bradley Beal added 24. The Suns shot 54.8% from the field and 37.5% from 3-point range.

“It's obviously something we talked about at halftime,” Booker said regarding their defense of Garland. “You know, we didn’t try to limit his shot. We just tried to limit his touches. Period. For the rest of the game.”

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Chris Finch in the center, Kevin Garnett on the left, Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert to his right.

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Across the aisle, Bickerstaff saw the same thing.

“They just started trapping him more and trying to get the ball out of his hands,” Bickerstaff said. “When he was playing the pick and roll, they switched their matchups so different guys were guarding centers. He did the right thing, they put two on him, he got rid of the ball and we just had to make the play behind him.”

Sure, it wasn't just Garland alone that kept the Cavs afloat all night, even pulling the team within two points in the closing moments. Caris LeVert tallied 17 points and 11 assists. Jarrett Allen finished with a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Isaac Okoro and Craig Porter Jr. each added 13 points apiece.

But, when Cleveland saw what a star-studded trio of Durant, Booker and Beal did to them in just one frame, what Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen did wasn't enough without Donovan Mitchell or Evan Mobley to share the load. Thankfully, there's a chance that the Cavs might not know that feeling for much longer if Mitchell returns during the team's upcoming road trip. Hopefully, with the team coming off such a strong performance, Cleveland can dominate immediately.