Donovan Mitchell goes for 35 as Jazz hold off Cavs
Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points to lead the Utah Jazz to a 109-108 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland on Sunday.
Rudy Gobert tallied 20 rebounds and five blocks for the Jazz. Bojan Bogdanovic added 16 points while Rudy Gay chipped in 15 points and eight rebounds.
Utah made 20 3-pointers and shot 41.7 percent from long distance.
Darius Garland scored 31 points to lead the Cavaliers. Jarrett Allen added 17 points and 11 rebounds while Evan Mobley chipped in 14 points and 12 rebounds.
The Jazz took the lead for good when Mike Conley buried a 3-pointer and Gobert drove for a dunk to put them up 109-106 with 1:42 left. Garland made a jumper to make it a one-point game going into the final minute. He missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds.
Mitchell gave Utah a huge lift on offense in the first quarter. He scored 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting -- including three 3-pointers -- and helped the Jazz build a 32-29 lead by the end of the quarter.
The Jazz led by seven points four times in the second quarter -- the fourth time when Mitchell made three free throws to put Utah up 60-53.
Cleveland cut the deficit to 60-57 early in the third quarter on a floater from Garland. Mitchell went to work to widen the gap again. He made back-to-back baskets to cap a 10-2 run and give Utah its first double-digit lead at 70-59.
The Jazz extended their lead to 97-82 early in the fourth quarter on back-to-back 3-pointers from Jordan Clarkson and Conley. Then, Cleveland stormed back. Cedi Osman scored or assisted on three straight baskets to fuel an 18-2 run. Garland finished it off with a go-ahead step-back 3-pointer that gave the Cavaliers a 100-99 lead.
—Field Level Media/Reuters