Cavs Top 3: Cleveland Cavaliers manhandle old friends as Utah Jazz fail to compete

The Utah Jazz got manhandled by the Cleveland Cavaliers all night.

The story of the Cleveland Cavaliers is a complicated one for the 2022 season. They are a stockpile of talent but they’re constantly giving up second-half leads, or mounting second-half wins. It’s rarely anything else. Monday, however, the Cavs were able to start hot, stay hot and finish hot as they put the proverbial boots to the Utah Jazz all night.

Old friends Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton came to town, though former Cavalier Collin Sexton was out with a hamstring issue and Kevin Love’s best friend, Kelly Olynyk, was also out for the game. That left Markkanen to carry the load and while the former Cavalier looked good in defeat (24 points, six rebounds, 58% shooting), he could not carry the team on his own. Not with how good the Cavaliers shot.

They bounced back from a dreadful game against the Dallas Mavericks, where the Cavs made Kemba Walker look like an All-NBA caliber player once again, and did their duty against the Jazz. The team shot 58% from three-point, a drastic improvement from the Mavericks outing, and Cedi Osman of all people seemingly led the way off the bench. He was 5-6 from three, and finished with 22 points, good for second most on the team and fourth most for the game.

Darius Garland’s hand seems to be better, as he also had a nice game shooting. Though, his passing was on point, as the team and Garland got Jarrett Allen involved early and often. With Markkanen being their only real big who could provide damage offensively, Allen feasted on both ends of the court with relative ease. Developing big-man Walker Kessler did his best to slow down Allen but he’s one of the league’s best for a reason.

The Cavs closed out the game 122-99 and will play the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. The Cavs are now 21-11 on the season and only two games out of first. A win on Wednesday would get them ever so closer to the top spot in not only the Central Division but also the Eastern Conference.

Cleveland Cavaliers top 3 vs. the Utah Jazz

1 Point – Darius Garland

30 minutes, 17 points, 8 assists, +25 BPM
.636/.500/1.000

2 Points – Jarrett Allen

30 minutes, 20 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks +18 BPM
.636/.000/.750

3 Points – Cedi Osman

24 minutes, 22 points, 2 rebounds, +15 BPM
.800/.833/.500

Cavs Top 3 Seasonal Standings

1. Donovan Mitchell –47 Points
2. Darius Garland – 34 Points
3. Evan Mobley – 28 Points
4. Cedi Osman & Jarrett Allen – 20 Points
5. Caris LeVert & Kevin Love – 12 Points
6. Isaac Okoro – 5 Points
7. Dean Wade – 3 Points
8. Lamar Stevens – 2 Points