Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton didn't shy away from the competition as his team gutted out a win against a gritty Cleveland Cavaliers side on Monday night. After engaging in a tightly contested affair, Ayton claimed that he liked the game's physicality, especially after going up against an All-Star-caliber big man in Andre Drummond, via Kellan Olson of Arizona Sports.
On Monday night, neither team refused to give in as the two sides went at it all throughout the game. The Suns eventually rallied to overcome their opponent after hitting key baskets in crunch time. Cameron Johnson's 3-pointer with just over two minutes to go put Phoenix ahead for good, and Mikal Bridges salted the game away at the line with four consecutive free throws to finish with 22 points.
Devin Booker had another huge performance by tallying 36 points on 5-of-9 from beyond the arc to along with five rebounds and eight assists, stepping up in a big way with Chris Paul out. Ayton impressed in his matchup against Drummond with 15 points and 16 rebounds. Drummond produced 15 points and 14 rebounds of his own in the heavyweight battle.
The victory stretched the Suns' winning streak to three and lifted them to a 14-9 record for the fourth spot in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Cavs dropped back to 10-15 for the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland has lost four games in a row and is falling hard after a surprise start to the season.
Deandre Ayton will certainly have another tough time in the paint when they host Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 10, but it sounds like he'll be ready for the challenge.
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