SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — On Tuesday night, the Cavaliers stopped in Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Jazz; the third stop of their five game west coast trip.
It was Donovan Mitchell’s first time back in the Beehive State since being traded to Cleveland back in September.
With emotions still there for Mitchell and Utah fans, he didn’t know what to expect. But as soon as warmups began, fans showed up rocking his 45 Jazz jersey and were looking for autographs. Mitchell received a standing ovation with a tribute video minutes before tipoff.
Mitchell came in hot in the first quarter by making three-threes followed by two nice assists–with one being a dunk for Evan Mobley. For the second quarter, he was able to get on the free throw line three times and made all those shots, he added on by making a three and a jump shot–ending him with 25 points at halftime.
Mitchell stayed lowkey in the third; he missed a few shots throughout, but his teammate Darius Garland stepped in and put up points along with assists to bring the Cavs score closer to Jazz's lead.
At the start of the fourth, the Cavs were only down by four. Both teams were going at it, scoring-wise — the Cavs would make a jumper, then the Jazz would turn around and do the exact same thing.
At around the seven-minute mark, Mitchell turned the game around by making a layup that would put the Cavs up by one. After that play, Mitchell scored two 3-pointers back to back, pushing the Cavs lead.
The Jazz were missing shots up until the one-and-a-half-minute mark.
THE PLAYS THAT CHANGED THE CAVS OUTCOME:
With a minute left in the fourth, Jazz guard and former Cavalier Jordan Clarkson stepped back and shot a 3-pointer just before the buzzer rang. Cavs guard Caris LeVert leaned into Clarkson, causing the play to go under review, where he was then charged with a flagrant foul. This allowed Clarkson to get on the line and bring the score to 107-106; the Jazz were now only down by one.
Moments after, LeVert once again fouled Clarkson and put him back on the line for free throw shots with seconds left on the clock.
The Cavs again fouled two more times; the Jazz racked up more free throws and bumped their lead.
Utah took the win over the Cavaliers, 116-114.
HOW THE NIGHT ENDED:
Mitchell: 46 points, six assists, five rebounds, three steals
Garland: 21 points, six assists, and five rebounds
Clarkson was the Jazz leading scorer with 32 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
The Cavs next stop will be Thursday versus the Portland Trail Blazers. Tip-off will be at 10:00 p.m.
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