Defense meets offense when the Cleveland Cavaliers (26-15, 8-11 Away) travel to face the Utah Jazz (20-23, 12-7 Home) on Tuesday. Cleveland defeated the Phoenix Suns 112-98 at Footprint Center on Sunday. With 22 points each, Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland were the scoring leaders.
Jarrett Allen chipped in with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists. The Cavaliers are the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, 2.5 games behind the Boston Celtics. Utah lost on Sunday at FedExForum, falling to the Memphis Grizzlies 123-118. Lauri Markkanen had 21 points and eight rebounds in the losing effort, leading the team. The Jazz are 10th in the Western Conference.
It’s the final meeting of the season between the teams. Cleveland will be pursuing a season sweep against Utah after earning the win in the only previous meeting 122-99 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in December 2022. Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 23 points, while Allen played a key role with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks. Markkanen had 24 points in defeat.
Mitchell is averaging 28.8 points per game, seventh-highest in the NBA, to lead the Cavs in scoring this season. Meanwhile, Garland is dishing 7.8 assists per game, seventh-most in the league, and Allen is grabbing 10.1 rebounds per game (9th). Markkanen’s 24.5 points per game have powered the Jazz on offense. Markkanen also has averaged 8.3 rebounds per game.
Mike Conley has doled out 7.6 assists per game. The Cavaliers are the league’s second-best team in defensive efficiency, while the Jazz rank fifth in offensive efficiency. The Cavaliers are only 2-8 in their last 10 games at Vivint Arena. In the last 10 games, Cleveland is 6-4 with an average margin of +1.8 (114.4-112.6).
For the season, the Cavaliers are averaging 111.5 points per game, compared to 106.6 for opponents. Utah has gone 3-7 over the last 10, scoring 120.5 points per game on average while holding opponents to 119.3 (+1.2 margin).
CAVALIERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Lamar Stevens: 6.6 | 10.6 | -4.0
Points per game:
Caris LeVert: 17.8 | 12.6 | +5.2
Evan Mobley: 10.7 | 14.2 | -3.6
Assists per game:
Donovan Mitchell: 7.0 | 4.8 | +2.2
JAZZ HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points per game:
Lauri Markkanen: 31.0 | 24.5 | +6.5
Rebounds per game:
Walker Kessler: 8.2 | 6.6 | +1.7
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Cleveland Cavs (-160)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
