Jazz demolish Cavaliers for 20th straight home win
FILE – Jordan Clarkson #00 of the Utah Jazz celebrates a play during a game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 26, 2021 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Alex Goodlett/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Alex Goodlett / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Rudy Gobert contributed 18 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks and Donovan Mitchell had a team-high 19 points as the Utah Jazz cruised to their sixth straight win by crushing the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-75 on Monday night in Salt Lake City.
Mike Conley was the only other Jazz player to reach double figures — 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting — as Utah went to its bench early and ended up with 14 players entering the scoring column.
2⃣0⃣ straight home wins for the @utahjazz! #TakeNote @rudygobert27: 18 PTS, 17 REB, 4 BLK@spidadmitchell: 19 PTS@MCONLEY10: 18 PTS pic.twitter.com/RCjGCIv6Qq
— NBA (@NBA) March 30, 2021
This was the Jazz’s eighth wire-to-wire win and tied a franchise record with its 20th straight victory at home.
Georges Niang and Jordan Clarkson led the Jazz’s bench barrage with nine points apiece, and each made at least one 3-pointer as the team shot 46.3 percent (19 of 41) from long range. The Jazz also shot 46.3 percent (38 of 82) overall.
Collin Sexton scored 20 points and Darius Garland added 18 for Cleveland, which was without Kevin Love (calf), Larry Nance Jr. (illness), Matthew Dellavedova (appendectomy) and Jarrett Allen (concussion).
Gobert hit a free throw 14 seconds into this game, and Utah never looked back. Cleveland kept it close for about the first seven minutes, trailing 12-10. Then the Jazz used a 10-1 run, including a 3-pointer by Bojan Bogdanovic, a dunk by Mitchell, a Derrick Favors layup and a Joe Ingles trey, to take the first double-digit lead at 22-11.
Utah led 53-34 at halftime with its stingiest half of the season scoring-wise. Mitchell led all scorers with 15 points at the break.
The Jazz simply overpowered the Cavaliers in the third quarter, which ended on a 17-0 Utah run and a 90-52 lead.
The Jazz finished with their largest margin of victory of the season. It was Utah’s eighth game this season in which the team has held at least a 30-point lead, and the third in four games, according to the team broadcast.
Matt Thomas scored his first points with the Jazz — on a jumper — after being acquired from the Toronto Raptors at the trade deadline. He also drained a 3-pointer and finished with five points.
Ersan Ilyasova also scored for the Jazz for the first time since signing with the team March 10.
Utah next travels to Memphis to face the Grizzlies for the third time in six days. The Jazz won the previous two at home.
Monday’s loss wrapped up a four-game road trip for the Cavaliers, who went 1-3. They go home to play Philadelphia on Thursday on a three-game losing streak.
