Toronto, Canada – CLEVELAND, Ohio (Reuters) - Shaquille O'Neal contributed to a balanced offensive display to help the Cleveland Cavaleirs beat the Phoenix Suns 107-90 on Wednesday, the center scoring 12 points with nine rebounds against his former team.
Seven Cavaliers players returned double-figures scores, including reigning league MVP LeBron James, who narrowly missed a triple-double with 12 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
Playing in his franchise record 724th game, center Zydrunas Ilgauskas had a team-high 14 points
The defeat was a second straight heavy loss for the Suns (14-5), having suffered a 126-99 thrashing at the hands of the New York Knicks the previous day.
Channing Frye led Phoenix with 22 points but the high-octane Suns' offense was tamed as they failed to score 100 points for a second straight night after reaching three figures in every game this season before the Knicks loss.
After trading O'Neal to Cleveland (13-5) in the offseason, Phoenix had flourished by returning to its fast-paced style of play, but the veteran center would be delighted to have been on the winning side against his former team mates.
(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by John O'Brien)
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.