Keyonte George collected 32 points and nine assists and Lauri Markkanen had 28 points and 12 rebounds as the visiting Utah Jazz rallied past the Cleveland Cavaliers 123-112 on Monday night, bouncing back from a 55-point loss in their previous game.
George, who made all 12 of his free throw attempts, poured in 16 points in the third quarter and scored nine in the fourth for the Jazz, who trailed by 10 early in the second half. Utah was manhandled 150-95 by the Charlotte Hornets at home two days earlier.
Jusuf Nurkic finished with 11 points and 17 rebounds and Svi Mykhailiuk and Kevin Love each had 11 points as Utah won for the second time in its last eight games.
Darius Garland had 23 points and eight assists and Donovan Mitchell scored 21 points for the Cavaliers, but they made just 14 of 35 shots from the field. Evan Mobley had 15 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and three blocked shots — all after the first quarter.
Markkanen pushed the Jazz’s lead to 116-104 with two free throws with 3:38 remaining. George delivered the dagger with a 3-pointer that made it 123-109, starting Utah’s five-game road trip with a surprising victory.
Cleveland had won five of its previous seven contests.
The Jazz sprinted out to a 21-4 lead midway through the first when the Cavaliers missed 11 of their first 13 shots, carrying a 34-22 advantage into the second. Markkanen had six points and six rebounds, while Mitchell paced Cleveland with five points.
Garland put the Cavaliers ahead for the first time at 54-52 with a jumper, then beat the halftime buzzer with a 3-pointer to extend it to 62-54. Mitchell and Garland each scored nine in the quarter, which Cleveland finished on a 26-8 run.
Jazz center Nurkic (left toe sprain) and rookie shooting guard Ace Bailey (left hip flexor strain) both returned after two-game absences. Small forward Georges Niang (left foot stress reaction) is traveling with the team, but has yet to play this season.
Cavaliers power forward Dean Wade (left knee bruise) was unavailable for the fifth time in six games.
–Field Level Media
