2 studs and 1 dud from Utah Jazz win over Cleveland Cavaliers

The Utah Jazz did not have an easy time with the upstart Cleveland Cavaliers last night (for the record, there’s a reason we predicted a Jazz loss in this contest). Regardless, they overcame adversity to pick up their fourth straight win by a final score of 109-108. In the dying moments of the game, Darius Garland launched a triple that would have put the Jazz to bed. It hung around the rim like a distant cousin at a family Christmas party who you’re just remembering why you never call. It ultimately would not drop, and by the time the ball found itself back in play, the clock had expired.

These Cavs are a young team with a distinct identity, and that identity revolves around length. By starting Lauri Markkanen at the 3, the Cavs routinely run triple tower lineups, directly bucking modern trends. Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz run a modernized look, with a rim running, rim protecting big in the middle for the majority of every game, surrounded by 2 wings and 2 guards.

In other words, this matchup was a clash of styles. With so much length in the frontcourt, this Cavs team kept the paint permanently packed against the Jazz, routinely denying them the dunk and layup attempts that Quin Snyder’s offense feasts on. Conversely, they were poorly equipped to counter the other significant component of the Jazz’s attack: the three-pointer.

The Utah Jazz shot 20/48 from three-point range in this contest, good for 41.7% in total. That accuracy continued the team’s overall hotness from deep. Obviously, the quality three-point shooting didn’t result in elite offensive production, with the Jazz managing a modest 109 points. Again, the Cavs kept the protected area, well, protected. The Jazz responded by locking down on defense in turn.

It was a gutsy victory against a quality young team. Here are 2 studs and 1 dud from this Utah Jazz win.