Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers talks to Collin Sexton #2 of the Utah Jazz after a game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on December 19, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers beat the Jazz 114-91. Image Jason Miller/Getty/AFP
Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers home team to a 122-99 win over the Utah Jazz on Monday night in the first game against his former team.
Hours after being named Eastern Conference Player of the Week, Mitchell hit eight of 12 shots, including four out of five from outside the arc, in just 23 minutes. He scored 11 points and scored three 3-pointers in the first six minutes to help the Cavaliers establish early control.
Jarrett Allen added 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Darius Garland contributed 17 points and eight assists as Cleveland won its fourth straight game. Cedi Osman scored 22 points, and the seven Cavaliers scored at least 12, including five starts.
Lauri Markkanen led Utah with 24 points and 6 rebounds on his return to Cleveland, where he played one season. The Finnish giant is a significant acquisition for Jazz – along with three first-round picks – in a big deal to take Mitchell, who played his first five NBA seasons in Utah.
Collin Sexton (hamstring), also part of the deal, did not see action, while rookie Ochai Agbaji, selected 14th overall by Cleveland, ran out of time.
The Jazz, which has lost both games so far in the three-game Eastern trip, played without a start against Kelly Olynyk, who was ruled out with an ankle injury.
Markkanen made three free throws to give the Cavaliers a 35-28 lead in the second half, but Caris LeVert sparked Cleveland’s 10-0 win with a 3-pointer and an assist for a shot. dribbling by Evan Mobley.
The way Donovan Mitchell wriggled through the defense was very special.
Watch 🕷️ on the NBA App: https://t.co/l0hlhlmrQi pic.twitter.com/lsKGoxxRQE
– NBA (@NBA) December 20, 2022
Mitchell started with a shove and then followed Jordan Clarkson’s 3-pointer with a shot of his own to give the Cavaliers a 5-3 lead. Clarkson finished with 23 points.
Mitchell scored 11 of Cleveland’s first 19 points, including three, and took the lead in a 7-0 win that gave the Cavs a quick nine-point lead.
Utah opened the second half by scoring eight points in a row to make it a 10-point match, but the game ended after Isaac Okoro and Mitchell took three consecutive points.
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