Game ID: 22300364
Utah Jazz @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Wednesday, December 20, 2023 at 7:00 PM ET
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CLE 36 26 30 32 124UTA 27 29 37 23 116
CLE vs UTA ScoutingCLE vs UTA Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
CLE availability going into 12/12 · back-to-backOUT Eva. Mobley missed 2 since 12/08, out tonight
OUT LeVert missed 4 since 12/02, returns tonight: 23 min (81% of 28)
BACK Wade back 12/06 after 6, 23 min since (110% of 20)
BACK Merrill back 12/02 after 4, 10 min since (58% of 17)
BACK Thompson back 12/02 after 2, 13 min since (123% of 11)
CLE availability going into 12/14 · 1 day's restOUT Eva. Mobley missed 3 since 12/08, out tonight
OUT Porter Jr. missed 2 since 12/11, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 12/12 after 4, 23 min since (81% of 28)
BACK Wade back 12/06 after 6, 22 min since (107% of 20)
BACK Merrill back 12/02 after 4, 10 min since (58% of 17)
BACK Thompson back 12/02 after 2, 13 min since (120% of 11)
CLE availability going into 12/16 · 1 day's restOUT Eva. Mobley missed 4 since 12/08, out tonight
OUT Merrill missed 2 since 12/12, returns tonight: 8 min (47% of 17)
OUT Porter Jr. missed 3 since 12/11, returns tonight: 15 min (119% of 13)
BACK LeVert back 12/12 after 4, 29 min since (102% of 28)
BACK Wade back 12/06 after 6, 21 min since (101% of 20)
CLE availability going into 12/18 · 1 day's restOUT Eva. Mobley missed 5 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 12/12 after 4, 28 min since (97% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 12/16 after 2, 8 min since (47% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 12/16 after 3, 15 min since (119% of 13)
CLE availability going into 12/20 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 2 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 6 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 12/12 after 4, 28 min since (97% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 12/16 after 2, 16 min since (95% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 12/16 after 3, 12 min since (94% of 13)
CLE availability going into 12/21 · back-to-backOUT Garland missed 3 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 7 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 12/12 after 4, 27 min since (97% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 12/16 after 2, 21 min since (124% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 12/16 after 3, 16 min since (128% of 13)
CLE availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 2 since 12/20, out tonight
OUT Garland missed 4 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 8 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Merrill back 12/16 after 2, 19 min since (111% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 12/16 after 3, 19 min since (153% of 13)
CLE availability going into 12/27 · 3 days' restOUT Mitchell missed 3 since 12/20, out tonight
OUT Garland missed 5 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 9 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Merrill back 12/16 after 2, 19 min since (111% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 12/16 after 3, 23 min since (184% of 13)
NEW Wade 20 to 27 min over the last 5
NEW Thompson 11 to 17 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 12/29 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 4 since 12/20, returns tonight: 36 min (101% of 36)
OUT Garland missed 6 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 10 since 12/08, out tonight
OUT Merrill missed 2 since 12/23, returns tonight: 15 min (89% of 17)
NEW Okoro 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Wade 20 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Porter Jr. 13 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Thompson 11 to 17 min over the last 5
UTA availability going into 12/13 · 1 day's restOUT Markkanen missed 8 since 11/25, returns tonight: 25 min (74% of 33)
OUT Juzang missed 5 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Sensabaugh missed 22 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Potter missed 6 since 11/29, out tonight
BACK Clarkson back 12/08 after 3, 25 min since (81% of 31)
BACK Hendricks back 12/02 after 18, 20 min since (94% of 21)
BACK Olynyk back 12/08 after 2, 19 min since (95% of 20)
BACK Dunn back 12/06 after 4, 21 min since (111% of 19)
NEW George 27 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Fontecchio 23 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Agbaji 20 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Yurtseven 11 to 18 min over the last 4
UTA availability going into 12/14 · back-to-backOUT Collins missed 2 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Juzang missed 6 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Sensabaugh missed 23 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Potter missed 7 since 11/29, returns tonight: 3 min (25% of 12)
BACK Markkanen back 12/13 after 8, 25 min since (74% of 33)
BACK Clarkson back 12/08 after 3, 25 min since (81% of 31)
BACK Hendricks back 12/02 after 18, 20 min since (94% of 21)
BACK Olynyk back 12/08 after 2, 23 min since (112% of 20)
BACK Dunn back 12/06 after 4, 20 min since (105% of 19)
NEW Fontecchio 23 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Agbaji 20 to 25 min over the last 5
UTA availability going into 12/16 · 1 day's restOUT Clarkson missed 2 since 12/13, out tonight
OUT Collins missed 3 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Juzang missed 7 since 11/30, returns tonight: 4 min (24% of 19)
OUT Sensabaugh missed 24 since 10/27, out tonight
BACK Markkanen back 12/13 after 8, 25 min since (74% of 33)
BACK Olynyk back 12/08 after 2, 23 min since (113% of 20)
BACK Dunn back 12/06 after 4, 22 min since (114% of 19)
BACK Potter back 12/14 after 7, 3 min since (25% of 12)
NEW Agbaji 20 to 25 min over the last 5
UTA availability going into 12/18 · 1 day's restOUT Clarkson missed 3 since 12/13, out tonight
OUT Collins missed 4 since 12/11, returns tonight: 20 min (73% of 28)
OUT George missed 2 since 12/14, out tonight
OUT Sensabaugh missed 25 since 10/27, out tonight
BACK Markkanen back 12/13 after 8, 26 min since (79% of 33)
BACK Olynyk back 12/08 after 2, 24 min since (119% of 20)
BACK Juzang back 12/16 after 7, 4 min since (24% of 19)
BACK Potter back 12/14 after 7, 4 min since (31% of 12)
NEW Dunn 19 to 24 min over the last 4
UTA availability going into 12/20 · 1 day's restOUT Clarkson missed 4 since 12/13, out tonight
OUT George missed 3 since 12/14, out tonight
OUT Sensabaugh missed 26 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Yurtseven missed 2 since 12/16, out tonight
BACK Markkanen back 12/13 after 8, 27 min since (82% of 33)
BACK Collins back 12/18 after 4, 20 min since (73% of 28)
BACK Juzang back 12/16 after 7, 4 min since (24% of 19)
BACK Potter back 12/14 after 7, 4 min since (31% of 12)
NEW Horton-Tucker 20 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW Agbaji 20 to 25 min over the last 5
UTA availability going into 12/21 · back-to-backOUT Clarkson missed 5 since 12/13, out tonight
OUT George missed 4 since 12/14, out tonight
OUT Juzang missed 2 since 12/18, out tonight
OUT Sensabaugh missed 27 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Potter missed 2 since 12/18, out tonight
OUT Yurtseven missed 3 since 12/16, out tonight
BACK Markkanen back 12/13 after 8, 29 min since (88% of 33)
BACK Collins back 12/18 after 4, 21 min since (77% of 28)
NEW Sexton 27 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Fontecchio 23 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Horton-Tucker 20 to 28 min over the last 5
UTA availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Clarkson missed 6 since 12/13, returns tonight: 30 min (99% of 31)
OUT George missed 5 since 12/14, out tonight
OUT Juzang missed 3 since 12/18, out tonight
OUT Sensabaugh missed 28 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Potter missed 3 since 12/18, out tonight
OUT Yurtseven missed 4 since 12/16, out tonight
BACK Collins back 12/18 after 4, 25 min since (89% of 28)
NEW Sexton 27 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Olynyk 20 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Horton-Tucker 20 to 29 min over the last 4
UTA availability going into 12/26 · 2 days' restOUT George missed 6 since 12/14, returns tonight: 24 min (90% of 27)
OUT Horton-Tucker missed 2 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Juzang missed 4 since 12/18, out tonight
OUT Sensabaugh missed 29 since 10/27, returns tonight: 2 min (11% of 18)
OUT Potter missed 4 since 12/18, out tonight
OUT Yurtseven missed 5 since 12/16, returns tonight: 2 min (18% of 11)
BACK Clarkson back 12/23 after 6, 30 min since (99% of 31)
BACK Collins back 12/18 after 4, 25 min since (90% of 28)
NEW Sexton 27 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Dunn 19 to 25 min over the last 5
UTA availability going into 12/28 · 1 day's restOUT Horton-Tucker missed 3 since 12/21, returns tonight: 6 min (31% of 20)
OUT Juzang missed 5 since 12/18, out tonight
OUT Potter missed 5 since 12/18, out tonight
BACK Clarkson back 12/23 after 6, 29 min since (93% of 31)
BACK Collins back 12/18 after 4, 24 min since (85% of 28)
BACK George back 12/26 after 6, 24 min since (90% of 27)
BACK Sensabaugh back 12/26 after 29, 2 min since (11% of 18)
BACK Yurtseven back 12/26 after 5, 2 min since (18% of 11)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 118, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 28 and Garland at 27 a game. Without Garland (2 straight), Eva. Mobley (6 straight). One day's rest. Utah comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 119, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; Sexton at 26 and Markkanen at 20 a game. Without Clarkson (4 straight), George (3 straight), Sensabaugh (26 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Cleveland 118, Utah 113.
12/12 @ BOS 113-120 — CLE notes
CLE lost 113-120. CLE took 8 more shots (92 to 84), but shot 48% to BOS's 45%, 19 of 45 from three, and got to the line just 9 times against 18 fouls committed. The glass went 35-45 against them. Mitchell led with 29 (11 of 22, 5 of 13 from three); Garland added 26, Strus 17. Q1 was theirs, 31-21, but the other 3 periods went 99-82 against them. They led by as many as 15. Okoro's -15 in 16 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/14 @ BOS 107-116 — CLE notes
CLE lost 107-116. CLE shot 48% (40 of 83) to BOS's 51%, 11 of 33 from three. Mitchell led with 31 (12 of 24, 2 of 8 from three); LeVert added 26, Garland 19. Q3 was theirs, 33-25, the deficit cut from 11 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 91-74 against them. Mitchell's -11 in 40 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/16 vs ATL 127-119 — CLE notes
CLE won 127-119. CLE shot 49% (49 of 101) to ATL's 48%, 16 of 42 from three, and got to the line 15 times to ATL's 25. The glass went 49-34 for them. Allen led with 25 (12 of 14); Mitchell added 22, Okoro 18. The hinge was Q1, 41-28: from level to 13 ahead, and the lead reached 23. Strus was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
12/18 vs HOU 135-130 — CLE notes
CLE won 135-130 in 1 overtime. CLE shot 48% (47 of 97) to HOU's 46%, 19 of 48 from three, and went to the line 34 times to HOU's 27 — 22 points from the stripe to their 24. Mitchell led with 37 (14 of 27, 4 of 11 from three); Merrill added 19, Strus 17. The hinge was OT1, 13-8: from level to 5 ahead. CLE trailed 57-59 at the half and won the second half 78-71.
12/20 vs UTA 124-116 — CLE notes
CLE won 124-116. CLE shot 47% (45 of 96) to UTA's 51%, 23 of 51 from three, and got to the line 16 times to UTA's 28. CLE turned it over 11 times to UTA's 16. Merrill led with 27 (9 of 16, 8 of 14 from three); LeVert added 23, Strus 18. The hinge was Q1, 36-27: from level to 9 ahead. Merrill was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
12/21 vs NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 120, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 18 free throws a game; Mitchell at 30 and Merrill at 18 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Garland (3 straight), Eva. Mobley (7 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 112, shooting 51 percent and 44 from three, 30 free throws a game; Ingram at 26 and McCollum at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Nance Jr. (10 straight). One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where New Orleans takes 30 free throws a game to Cleveland's 18 and the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-6 a night and Cleveland minus-1. Call it New Orleans 119, Cleveland 115, Cleveland keeping it close.
12/23 @ CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 108, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 19 free throws a game; DeRozan at 23 and White at 22 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without LaVine (11 straight), Craig (3 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 121, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 18 free throws a game; Mitchell at 30 and LeVert at 17 a game. Without Mitchell (2 straight), Garland (4 straight), Eva. Mobley (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: Chicago wins, and the game turns on the defense, Chicago allowing 108 a night to Cleveland's 121. Call it Chicago 116, Cleveland 112, Cleveland keeping it close.
12/27 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 121, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; Dončić at 39 and Hardaway Jr. at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Irving (9 straight), Green (12 straight), Kleber (22 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 117, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Allen at 17 and Strus at 17 a game. Without Mitchell (3 straight), Garland (5 straight), Eva. Mobley (9 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-4 a night and Dallas minus-5. Call it Dallas 118, Cleveland 117, Cleveland keeping it close.
12/29 vs MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 115, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 21 free throws a game; LeVert at 18 and Allen at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Mitchell (4 straight), Garland (6 straight), Eva. Mobley (10 straight). One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 129 a night and allowing 119, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 28 and Lillard at 25 a game. Without Crowder (22 straight). One day's rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, on the road, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Milwaukee 119, Cleveland 118, Cleveland keeping it close.
12/13 vs NYK 117-113 — UTA notes
UTA won 117-113. UTA shot 44% (43 of 98) to NYK's 44%, 16 of 42 from three, and got to the line 21 times to NYK's 32. UTA turned it over 15 times to NYK's 8, and NYK turned those into 10 steals. Sexton led with 26 (10 of 18, 3 of 8 from three); Markkanen added 23, Fontecchio 15. The hinge was Q2, 30-19: UTA came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 2, and the lead reached 17. Hendricks was the night's best plus/minus at +25.
12/14 @ POR 122-114 — UTA notes
UTA won 122-114. UTA shot 53% (49 of 92) to POR's 42%, 11 of 33 from three. Sexton led with 27 (11 of 17, 2 of 5 from three); Fontecchio added 24, Horton-Tucker 23. The hinge was Q3, 34-22: a lead of 15 became 27, and the lead reached 33. Horton-Tucker was the night's best plus/minus at +31.
12/16 @ SAC 104-125 — UTA notes
UTA lost 104-125. UTA shot 44% (38 of 86) to SAC's 54%, 12 of 37 from three, and went to the line 21 times to SAC's 15 — 16 points from the stripe to their 11. Sexton led with 28 (10 of 18, 2 of 6 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Markkanen added 18, Horton-Tucker 12. Q4 was theirs, 28-19, the deficit cut from 30 to 21, but the other 3 periods went 106-76 against them. Kessler's -28 in 18 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/18 vs BKN 125-108 — UTA notes
UTA won 125-108. UTA shot 49% (45 of 91) to BKN's 43%, 14 of 34 from three. The glass went 51-36 for them. Sexton led with 27 (6 of 17, 3 of 7 from three, 12 of 13 at the line); Horton-Tucker added 27, Markkanen 20. The hinge was Q3, 34-23: UTA came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 6, and the lead reached 20. UTA trailed 54-59 at the half and won the second half 71-49. Sexton was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
12/20 @ CLE 116-124 — UTA notes
UTA lost 116-124. UTA shot 51% (40 of 78) to CLE's 47%, 13 of 30 from three, and went to the line 28 times to CLE's 16 — 23 points from the stripe to their 11. UTA turned it over 16 times to CLE's 11, and CLE turned those into 8 steals. Markkanen led with 26 (8 of 18, 3 of 9 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Sexton added 20, Horton-Tucker 19. Q3 was theirs, 37-30, turning a 6-point deficit into a 1-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 94-79 against them. Agbaji's -17 in 16 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/21 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 132, shooting 48 percent and 29 from three, 27 free throws a game; Bogdanović at 23 and Cunningham at 23 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 12 a night. Without Stewart (2 straight), Duren (6 straight). 2 days' rest. Utah comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 117, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Sexton at 26 and Markkanen at 22 a game. Without Clarkson (5 straight), George (4 straight), Juzang (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Utah wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Utah has been plus-1 a night and Detroit minus-12 and the defense, Utah allowing 117 a night to Detroit's 132. Call it Utah 118, Detroit 117, Detroit keeping it close.
12/23 @ TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 117, shooting 51 percent and 35 from three, 22 free throws a game; Siakam at 25 and Barnes at 23 a game. Without Freeman-Liberty (26 straight), Young (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Utah comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Sexton at 24 and Markkanen at 21 a game. Without Clarkson (6 straight), George (5 straight), Juzang (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Toronto wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Toronto 116, Utah 115, Utah keeping it close.
12/26 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 130, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; Vassell at 19 and Johnson at 17 a game. That is 4 straight losses. 2 days' rest. Utah comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 117, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 22 free throws a game; Markkanen at 24 and Sexton at 22 a game. Without George (6 straight), Horton-Tucker (2 straight), Juzang (4 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Utah wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Utah allowing 117 a night to San Antonio's 130 and the arc, Utah at 40 percent from three to San Antonio's 35. Call it Utah 120, San Antonio 117, San Antonio keeping it close.
12/28 @ NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 110, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 25 free throws a game; Ingram at 24 and Williamson at 20 a game. Without Nance Jr. (13 straight), Hawkins (2 straight). One day's rest. Utah comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 116, shooting 50 percent and 41 from three, 22 free throws a game; Markkanen at 27 and Sexton at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Horton-Tucker (3 straight), Juzang (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it New Orleans 119, Utah 114.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLECL C. LeVert
CP C. Porter Jr.
DW D. Wade
GN G. Niang
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
MS M. Strus
SM S. Merrill
TT T. Thompson
UTACS C. Sexton
JC J. Collins
KD K. Dunn
KO K. Olynyk
LM L. Markkanen
OA O. Agbaji
SF S. Fontecchio
TH T. Horton-Tucker
WK W. Kessler
CLE/UTA the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Sam Merrill scores career-high 27 as Cavaliers, without Donovan Mitchell, beat the Jazz 124-116
CLEVELAND -- — Sam Merrill set career highs with 27 points and eight 3-pointers off the bench, Caris LeVert scored 23 points, and the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Utah Jazz 124-116 on Wednesday night.
Merrill buried three 3-pointers during a 17-2 run to open the fourth quarter, giving Cleveland its largest lead at 109-95. He finished 9 of 16 from the field, including 8 of 14 beyond the arc, and 1 of 2 from the foul line in a career-best 30 minutes.
A fourth-year pro from Utah State, Merrill had set career highs of 19 points and five 3s in a 135-130 overtime win over Houston on Monday.
“I grew up as a Jazz fan in Utah, so to be able to have a game like this against them is even more special,” Merrill said. “To do that while we’re winning games, that’s what you dream about as a kid. You’ve got to enjoy these moments, for sure.”
Cavaliers shooting guard Donovan Mitchell sat out the game against his former team with an illness. The four-time All-Star, who is averaging 27.7 points, spent his first five seasons with Utah before being traded on Sept. 1, 2022.
Cleveland also was without power forward Evan Mobley (left knee surgery) and point guard Darius Garland (broken jaw), who are not expected to return until February.
“This isn’t going to be a ‘one person lifts us up’ situation, and I thought our guys have done a phenomenal job picking up the slack,” Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “It speaks to the character of these guys and their willingness to sacrifice.”
Max Strus scored 18 points on six 3-pointers and Jarrett Allen had 17 points and eight rebounds for Cleveland, which made 23 3-pointers on a franchise-record 51 attempts. The Cavaliers are 3-0 on a four-game homestand since losing Mobley and Garland.
Lauri Markkanen had 26 points and 10 rebounds, Collin Sexton scored 20 points, and Talen Horton-Tucker had 19 points and tied his career high with 11 assists for the Jazz. Utah is 2-13 on the road and will not return home until Dec. 30 against Miami.
Markkanen, Sexton and Ochai Agbaji were acquired by the Jazz in exchange for Mitchell, along with three first-round draft picks and multiple second-round selections.
“Me and Lauri wanted to win this game so bad,” said Sexton, who received a warm ovation in his first game back in Cleveland. “It definitely felt good how the fans reacted, knowing this is where I came from and how much the community means to me.”
Georges Niang scored 15 points and Tristan Thompson had 10 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals, helping Cleveland’s reserves outscore their counterparts 75-32.
Merrill buried five 3-pointers and had 17 points in the first half as Cleveland took a 62-56 lead into the break. Neither team was ahead by more than nine points until the final quarter.
“Every one of us really believed we could still make a run at the end,” Markkanen said. “They just shot the ball really well from three. Once a team makes a couple in a row, they start feeling good and it’s very hard to stop them.”