CLEVELAND — In an impressive display of teamwork, Darius Garland contributed 23 points as the top-ranked Cleveland Cavaliers triumphed over the Utah Jazz with a score of 124-113 on Monday night, marking the Cavaliers’ 17th win in their last 18 home games.
Evan Mobley supported the effort with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Donovan Mitchell also added 22 points. Sam Merrill had a standout performance, achieving a season-high of 20 points, and Garland also recorded eight assists for the Cavaliers. With this victory, they improve their record to 26-4 and have now claimed five consecutive wins with a substantial average margin of 20 points.
For the Jazz, Jordan Clarkson was a high scorer off the bench with 27 points, Lauri Markkanen contributed 26 points, and Collin Sexton added 24. This match was notable as Utah had previously traded Mitchell to Cleveland in September 2022, in exchange for Markkanen, Sexton, and several draft picks.
The game experienced a delay of 35 minutes at the beginning due to a malfunctioning rim that necessitated the replacement of one of the hoops and its support structure.
Key takeaways from the game include Walker Kessler’s dominant presence under the boards with 16 rebounds, eight of which were offensive. However, in the closing four minutes, he struggled at the free-throw line, making just 1 out of 6 attempts, as Cleveland strategically fouled him. Kessler’s free-throw shooting percentage stands at 53.6% this season.
For the Cavaliers, Merrill made his second start of the season and excelled as a small forward, sinking six out of 11 three-point attempts. His impressive scoring spurt included 14 points in the first eight minutes of the third quarter, helping Cleveland establish its first double-digit lead of the game.
A pivotal moment came when Georges Niang executed a backdoor layup with only 52 seconds left on the clock, followed by a swift defensive play where he stripped the ball from Clarkson. He subsequently passed it to Caris LeVert, who completed a dunk, extending Cleveland’s lead to 122-113.
A notable statistic to consider is that Sexton, having spent his initial four years with the Cavaliers, holds the fifth-highest scoring average in the team’s history at 20.0 points per game. He trails behind LeBron James (27.2), Donovan Mitchell (26.7), World B. Free (23.0), and Kyrie Irving (21.6).
Looking ahead, the Jazz will conclude their five-game road trip with a match against Portland on Thursday, while the Cavaliers are set to face Denver on Friday.
