Salt Lake Metropolis — Donovan Mitchell He had 46 factors returning to Utah, however the Jazz fell behind Jordan Clarkson To beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 116-114 on Tuesday night time.
Clarkson scored 32 factors, together with 5 three-pointers, and shot 9 consecutive factors down the stretch to gas a decisive 13-0 run.
Laurie Markkanen He had 25 factors and grabbed 16 rebounds towards his former group. Proprietor PaisleyAnd Mike Conley And Nickel Alexander Walker She added 13 blocks every as Utah received for less than the second time in 9 video games.
“I assumed our guys actually went deep, stored the course and stayed targeted on the little issues,” jazz coach Will Hardy mentioned.
Mitchell, who spent his first 5 seasons with Utah, additionally caught six assists, 5 rebounds and three steals. The three-time All-Star was traded to Cleveland in September for a large package deal that included Markkanen.
Utah paid Mitchell a video tribute earlier than tip-off, and Jazz followers gave him a standing ovation throughout the video and participant introductions.
“I used to be actually relieved,” mentioned Mitchell. “It wasn’t bizarre. It was like enjoying like I’ve carried out right here for the previous 5 years. The reception has been nice, and I admire that.”
Mitchell dropped 40 factors for the second time in 5 video games. He scored a Cleveland file 71 factors on January 2, essentially the most for an NBA participant in 17 years, because the Cavaliers rallied to beat the Chicago Bulls in time beyond regulation.
In keeping with the Elias Sports activities Bureau, Mitchell is the seventh participant in NBA historical past to attain 40 or extra factors in his first recreation on the street towards a former group. Of those seven gamers, he’s the second participant to lose. The opposite was Nick Van Exel in his first recreation in Los Angeles towards the Los Angeles Lakers.
Tuesday was Mitchell’s fifth 40-point recreation of the season, already a profession excessive.
Darius Garland He added 21 factors and 6 assists for Cleveland. Evan Mobley And Caris Levert Damaged at 12 factors every.
Cavaliers Heart Jarrett Allen I solely performed seven minutes – all within the first quarter – earlier than going out with an sickness. Cleveland ahead Isaac Okoro It was restricted to 17 minutes for a similar purpose. Each gamers felt nauseous throughout the match.
This put extra of a burden on Mitchell to make large runs for the 48 minutes.
“It was Donovan,” Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff mentioned. “He was attempting to mistake her for us.”
Cleveland trailed by 13 factors within the second half however lastly snapped and erased the deficit halfway by way of the fourth quarter. Mitchell scored three straight baskets to make it 11-0 and provides Cleveland a 101-94 lead. Utah missed 13 of their first 14 pictures within the fourth, opening the door for the Cavaliers to return again to the entrance.
However the Jazz pulled forward 115-107 with 23.1 seconds left within the recreation after Clarkson scored 9 straight factors on three possessions. His blast helped Utah beat 1 / 4 as Cleveland blocked 5 pictures and the Jazz totaled solely 5 baskets.
“I used to be simply aggressive in these moments,” Clarkson mentioned. “All through the sport, I noticed what they have been doing defensively and I simply began getting aggressive within the fourth inning.”
Mitchell stored the Cavaliers offense afloat within the first half whereas his teammates struggled to seek out their shot. Scored or assisted on 10 of Cleveland’s 19 baskets earlier than halftime.
When Mitchell calmed down within the third quarter, Utah scored seven consecutive possessions to compete for a double-digit lead. Clarkson made three consecutive baskets and assisted on one other for a strong 13-2 lead that put the Jazz up 78-65.
“It was that look in his eye, and I used to be like, Rattling, it’ll be a kind of back-and-forth nights,” Mitchell mentioned.
The Related Press contributed to this report.