by Alma Bean
Feature Image by David Dermer of AP Photo
The Utah Jazz (10-17) takes on the Cleveland Cavaliers (15-12) for their first game of their five-game road trip.
Welcome to The Land
Right out the gate, Cleveland was ready to show that they do not need all of their stars to be successful. Not only was Cleveland able to shoot 6/13 (46.2%) from the perimeter, but they shot a phenomenal 15/25 (60%) from field. Halfway through the quarter, it felt that Cleveland was looking to end things early with an eight-point until Utah went on a quick 8-0 run led by two perimeter shots from Kris Dunn (8/2/1). Even with Dunn’s effort, a layup and three-point shot from Georges Niang (15/1/1) helped propel Cleveland back to an eight-point which they were able to hold till the end of the quarter. Cleveland finished the quarter leading 36-27.
Second quarter, Cleveland and Utah were trading shots for the full 12 minutes. Both teams managed to score sub-30 points in the quarter going into the half. Cleveland shot 10/24 (41.7%) and Utah shot 9/25 (36%) from the field. John Collins (16 points and 5 rebounds) looked to be the only player for Utah in the quarter that had any consistent spark as he shot 3/4 (75%) from the field and account for 10 of Utah’s 29 second quarter points. With Collins’ valiant effort, Utah went into the half with a 62-56 deficit.
Homecoming Away from Home
After the halftime break, whatever was said in the locker room must’ve struck a nerve for Utah. Utah’s shooting became very precise and methodical going 16/23 (69.6%) from the field. With a near perfect offensive quarter, Utah managed to get their first lead since the 9:18 mark in the first quarter. Simone Fontecchio (9/7/2) helped Utah get over that hump with back-to back baskets to give them the lead. Caris LeVert (23/3/7) did what he needed to do to keep Cleveland within striking distance shooting 2/2 (100%) from the perimeter in the third quarter. Though LeVert’s effort didn’t go unnoticed, Utah finished the quarter with a 93-92 lead.
Cleveland started the final quarter on their terms. Opening the quarter with a 12-0 run led by Sam Merrill (27/3/2), who receiving crucial minutes in the absence of Donovan Mitchell. Merrill shot a career-high 8/14 (57.1%) from the perimeter while also reaching a career-high in points with 27 in the process. Collin Sexton (20/3/2) struggled to find an answer for the former Utah State Aggie and looked to foul him in frustration. Merrill and Sexton exchanged fouls on multiple possession in the fourth quarter, but Merrill got the final laugh. Though things were close down the stretch, the injury plagued Cleveland Cavaliers came away with the 124-116 win over Utah.
What’s Next
Utah will get on a flight to take on the struggling Detroit Pistons on Thursday.
The Hive Sports 
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