The Utah Jazz continued their ascent toward the top of the West with another dominant showing against a lackluster Cleveland Cavaliers outfit.
Former Jazzmen Alec Burks and Rodney Hood were back in Salt Lake City for the fist time and were met with a warm welcome from the crowd at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The greeting from Rudy Gobert and company was less pleasant, however, as the Utah Jazz demolished the Cleveland Cavaliers with seemingly very little exertion.
The Jazz took this one by the final score of 115-99. However, the final score isn’t exactly indicative of the difference between the two teams as the Jazz led by as many as 38 points in the third quarter, speaking to the current state of the Cavaliers organization. It was Utah’s sixth straight win and eighth in nine games.
The Jazz defense looked staunch from the outset and allowed nothing easy through three quarters of play as the Jazz boasted one of their more impressive defensive performances of the season. The Cavs were held to just 60 points through three quarters, largely in part to Gobert who put his imprint on yet another Jazz win.
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The Stifle Tower finished with 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, with 15 rebounds, five assists and a pair of blocks in just 27 minutes of play. Donovan Mitchell continued to strut his stuff at the offensive end, coming away with 24 points on an efficient 9-of-15 from the field and 2-of-5 from deep.
Royce O’Neale put together another terrific floor game, filling the stat sheet for 16 points on 6-of-8 from the field and 4-of-5 from three-point land, to go along with 11 rebounds and five assists.
From Utah’s perspective, the mindset in the locker room is likely to stay grounded after a win such as this. Honestly, the Cavaliers didn’t even resemble an opponent capable of bothering a playoff team at this juncture.
All in all, there isn’t too much that can be taken out of a game like this because it’s one that the Jazz simply had to win and were never at risk of losing. Nonetheless, the Jazz have to be prepared for a critically important week in their quest for a playoff spot as they look ahead to Portland, Denver and Minnesota.
Statistics courtesy of ESPN.com.