Cavs handle the Jazz 124-113

Strong performances from the starters paved the way for another home win.

Darius Garland scored 23 points, Sam Merrill and Evan Mobley added 22 more each, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the visiting Utah Jazz 124-113 to improve to 26-4. The Cavs starters combined to score 94 points and hit 16 three-pointers.

The meeting with Utah also brought back some familiar faces of Cavalier lore, including Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, and Collin Sexton. The three combined for 77 points, with Clarkson leading the team with 27 points. Sexton and Markkanen had 24 points and 26 points respectively. Utah continued its downward spiral, falling to 7-21.

The Jazz kept the game close through halftime, only trailing by four at the time. But the Cavs drilled nine threes in the third quarter and opened the game up. Merrill, who started in place of the injured Dean Wade, scored 17 of his 22 points in the second half.

It was a total team effort for the Cavs, but Mobley continued to be aggressive with the ball in his hands. After a posterizing dunk against the Philadelphia 76ers, he followed it up with another one over Walker Kessler. Mobley also drilled three shots from deep, another revelation to go along with the improved capabilities off the dribble.

Mobley’s growth is the talk of the team and should help him get to the All-Star game, but Darius Garland had another efficient game himself. He led the team in scoring but also had eight assists and shot 8/14 from the floor, the third time in four games he shot better than 57% overall. After a rough stretch of games from him, Garland is starting to return to form.

While it's a shame the best team in the league won’t be shown on the national stage for the Christmas Day slate, it does mean the Cavs get some rest. Their next game will be Friday on the road against the Denver Nuggets, a team that Cleveland already beat by double digits earlier this month.