By odds and margin of victory, Suns’ overtime vs. Cavaliers was historic
May 5, 2021, 8:41 AM
Phoenix Suns' Devin Booker, right, passes against Cleveland Cavaliers' Isaac Okoro in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, May 4, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Messing around with the Cleveland Cavaliers in regulation, the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday gave an underdog a chance to topple them from the NBA standings.
Until overtime began.
The Suns scored 15 straight points and finished overtime with a 20-4 scoring advantage to beat the Cavaliers in Cleveland by a final of 134-118.
The 16-point victory was historic.
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Only the Portland Trail Blazers have outscored an opponent by more in an overtime session. In 1983, they won a game 113-96 by holding the Houston Rockets scoreless in the extra five minutes.
A 1977 game won by the Milwaukee Bucks over the New Jersey Nets — by the same 134-118 score as the Suns’ victory — is the third and only other time a team has outscored an opponent by more than 15 points in overtime.
Back in 2021, there were betting consequences thanks to Phoenix’s closing five minutes.
The Suns (47-18) entered the game against the bottom-five Cavaliers (21-44) as 12.5-point favorites.
It sure didn’t look by the end of the fourth quarter that the visiting team would cover. Not as rookie Isaac Okoro bullied his way for a game-tying basket with 25 seconds to go in the fourth quarter, giving him a career-high 32 points.
But then the Suns’ defense locked in, holding the Cavaliers scoreless for the first 3:25 of the extra period.
Phoenix became the first team in 30 seasons to cover a double-digit spread in overtime, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
The Suns were 12.5-point favorites @WilliamHillUS , and covered that spread in overtime.
The Suns are the first team to cover as a double-digit favorite in a game that went to overtime over the last 30 seasons (including playoffs). pic.twitter.com/gXZR9LbhSy
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 5, 2021
That research unsurprisingly made its way to Scott Van Pelt’s SportsCenter, and the show scrambled for an emergency Bad Beats segment.
The Cavs (+12.5) went to overtime against the Suns.
They still couldn’t cover.
It was so bad, @notthefakeSVP needed an “Emergency Bad Beats” on @SportsCenter 😂 pic.twitter.com/SCTthuJved
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) May 5, 2021
