Cavs Push Past Jazz, 122-113

Utah had no answer for the league’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, who absolutely feasted in the middle all night as the Cavaliers stayed hot, pushing past the scrappy Jazz, 122-113, and notching their sixth win in the last seven outings. 

The 5^th-year big man from USC didn’t attempt a single shot from outside the painted area and didn’t need to, dominating the undersized Jazz and earning the first 30-point, 15-rebound game of his young career. On the night, Mobley was 15-of-21 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the stripe, finishing with a game-high-tying 34 points and season-high 17 boards, adding a game-high three blocks and a steal. 

Monday’s win also marked Mobley’s second straight double-double – 25^th on the season – and his 19^th game this year with at last three swats. 

“He’s been dominating, really, post-All-Star and post-trade,” praised Coach Kenny Atkinson. “I don’t know how much that has to do with James. I’m sure James has a hand in that. When you have a great passer like James, I think it’s helped him tremendously. But I feel he’s trending in the right direction (and) his rebounding is up, too. His free throws looked good tonight. He’s catching a wave at the right time.”

For most of the night, it looked like the Wine and Gold would pull away from a reeling Jazz team that had dropped 17 of their past 20 games, running out to a 15-point edge midway through the third quarter. But Utah refused to fold, rallying back to tie the game at 100-apiece early in the fourth and taking a two-point lead midway through the period. 

But soon after, Mobley – who did battle foul problems all night – checked back into the game, and the Cavs proceeded to go on a 14-1 run to effectively seal the deal in the first game of Cleveland’s final extended roadie of the regular season. 

Mobley’s monster night overshadowed Donovan Mitchell’s big return to the city where he spent the first five years of his NBA career – pouring in 34 points of his own on 10-of-18 shooting, including 3-of-9 from long-range and 11-of-12 from the stripe, adding five assists and a steal in the win. 

After handing out 14 assists in Friday night’s win over Miami, James Harden handed out 14 more on Monday night – tallying his sixth double-double as a Cavalier, adding six boards, a steal and a blocked shot. 

Keon Ellis jumped back in the starting lineup for a Cavs team that rested Max Strus and Jarrett Allen, netting double-figure scoring in his third straight outing with 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting, adding two boards, a pair of steals and a block. 

Overall, the Wine and Gold piled up a franchise-record 82 points in the paint – eclipsing the previous mark of 80 that they posted back in January against Sacramento. Cleveland shot 52 percent from the floor, but connected on just six three-pointers in 32 attempts. Defensively, the Cavs allowed Utah to shoot 52 percent from beyond the arc, but also forced 15 miscues that they converted into 20 points on the other end. 

*** After topping the Jazz on Monday, the Cavaliers face a taller order on Tuesday night – traveling to Tinseltown to take on Luka, LeBron and the red-hot Lakers, who’ve won 12 of their last 13. Cleveland closes out the final junket of the season on Thursday night, tipping off the month of April with a matchup against the Warriors. The Wine and Gold tip off the final week of the regular season when they return home for an Easter Sunday meeting against Indiana. 

*** About the only thing that could stop Evan Mobley scoring in the paint on Tuesday night in Salt Lake City was the final buzzer.