Jazz Cruise Past Cavaliers With Stifling Defense, Impressive Shooting
Mar 29, 2021, 9:19 PM
Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz shoots over Taurean Prince #12 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during a game at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 29, 2021 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz won their sixth straight game by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-75 on Monday night at Vivint Arena.
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Their win over the Cavaliers gave the Jazz their 20th straight win at home, which ties the franchise record.
Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field and 4-for-7 from the three-point line. Rudy Gobert recorded another double-double with 18 points, 17 rebounds and 4 blocks. Mike Conley chipped in 18 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists.
Collin Sexton had 20 points to lead the Cavaliers. Darius Garland scored 18 points and dished out five assists.
The @utahjazz crush the @cavs 114-75.
Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz with 19 points, while Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley added 18 each.
Jazz have won six in a row. #takenote pic.twitter.com/n2m1Ut4kDm
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 30, 2021
Defense, Impressive Shooting Gives Jazz Big Halftime Lead
The Jazz have been up and down with their defense but Monday was a strong performance on that end of the floor. They were focused and locked in during the first half and made the Cavaliers earn everything. The Jazz outscored the Cavaliers 27-18 in the first quarter and 26-16 in the second quarter to take a 53-34 lead to the locker room. It is the least amount of points the Jazz have allowed in the first half this season.
Cleveland was held to just 29 percent (12-41) shooting from the floor and 22 percent (4-18) from the three-point line. No one reached double figures in the first half. Darius Garland led them with nine points.
Rudy Gobert nearly had a double-double in the first half, finishing with nine points, eight rebounds and two blocks. He had one block that was really impressive. It made Donovan Mitchell just shake his head.
Darius Garland either has an insane amount of confidence or he didn't read the scouting report. #TakeNote @kslsports pic.twitter.com/uRUby2Cavx
— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) March 30, 2021
Mitchell led the Jazz in the first half with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor and 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. Utah had 15 assists on 18 made field goals.
Jazz Ends Third Quarter With Big Run, Cruise To Win Over Cavaliers
The Jazz allowed some backdoor cuts leading to dunks in the third quarter but Quin Snyder called a timeout to put an end to that quickly. Utah ended the third quarter on a 17-0 run.
Derrick Favors hit a midrange jump shot to start the run, giving the Jazz a 75-52 lead with 3:17 left in the third quarter. Jordan Clarkson and Mike Conley made back-to-back three-pointers. After Rudy Gobert made one of his two free throw attempts, Georges Niang knocked down a triple. The quarter ended with a pair of free throws from Clarkson and three free throws from Conley.
Utah outscored Cleveland 37-18 in the third quarter. The Jazz emptied their bench early in the fourth quarter after holding a massive lead.
The Jazz improved their record to 35-11 on the season. They will hit the road for a quick trip to Memphis to face the Grizzlies on Wednesday, March 31. Tip-off is at 6 p.m. MT on AT&T SportsNet.
